It was my 18th birthday when I chanced upon Harrison Dextrose's The Lost Incompetent: a Bible for the Inept Traveller, little knowing that it would one day lead me to kill a man with a dead penguin... Inspired by explorer Harrison Dextrose s book a curmudgeonly account of travels through unfashionable lands in search of a lost drinking partner and Suzy Goodenough s carnal delights as the prize, Alexander Grey rolls off his sofa to follow in the acclaimed man s footsteps. This is no usual travel text, involving poodle-farming, the Frihedhag sisters, wilful consumerism, an unwanted but undaunted sidekick, one too many rodents and the 24-hour Iditamush sled race, starring a sausage dog. And along the way, Alexander may, or may not, help to save the world. It s that kind of a trip.