East London resident Iain Sinclair is the funniest writer on the British literary scene.

Not, amusingly enough, for his truly dreadful books, of which this latest - following novels like Downriver and his first 'non-fiction' effort Lights Out For The Territory - is comfortably the worst.

No. Iain Sinclair is such a hoot because of his ludicrous reputation, which has made him the most commercially successful "underground" author in recent publishing history.

There's so much to laugh at about this writer I don't quite know where to start - but take his fans as a start. I've met many of these, and they're always ready to wax about their guru.

A few years ago, Sinclair went for a walk around the M25. You might think this the mark of a lunatic, but you're wrong. He did it because a "force field'' of evil around the Millennium Dome drove him to it, as you can read in the resulting "book'', London Orbital.

Have a look at it, it's very funny - but don't buy it.

London Orbital by Iain Sinclair is published by Penguin Books, priced £7.99 (paperback)

Lindesay Irvine