This uninvited collaboration between Mr. Pynchon and myself explores the original text of The Crying of Lot 49, with the added narrative of the dead Pierce Invararity throughout. This voice acts almost as Oedipa Maas's conscious, suggesting that he lives on in her mind while the story unfolds. He also speaks to the audience and to other characters within the book (who, of course, are completely oblivious). I tried to derive from the original text as much as I could about Pierce, deeming him obscenely rich, manipulative, and pompous. This, as you will see, becomes very apparent rather quickly.