Our introductions will fill you in on this in more detail, but here's the gist of it. Dave Parker and I had each written fantasy novels and had each read each other's. We each had a warrior hero, and in the summer of 1994, we pitted them against each other in a twisted sort of parody that took place in both worlds. I would write a piece of the story, turning the course of events to favor my own hero, then email the new story segment to Dave, who would continue the story and turn the tables. It was a game. The object was to win the warrior battle for our respective champions, at the same time inventing a humorous story as internally consistent as possible.

There's a lot of inside jokes, of course, but there's a lot of universal humor as well, and the allusions have been sidenoted. The important thing to remember is that you were never intended to see this. Dave and I wrote this for ourselves -- it's not prepackaged entertainment meant for public consumption (nor, for that matter, is the writing quality up to our usual standard). It's essential to remember this as you read. And if the idea of a duel of writers and warriors intrigues you, you may well enjoy it.