THE latest branch of pop philosophy to hit our bookshelves serves up arguments and paradoxes to appeal to nerdishness and egotism, but invariably the result is clever-clever without being clever. Lucy Eyre's first novel is no exception.

The story follows the progress of a wager between Socrates and Ludwig Wittgenstein, who reside with fellow philosophers and acolytes in the afterlife's World of Ideas. Socrates bets his presidency of the realm that philosophy can improve the lives of ordinary people.

Ben, a 15-year-old who works in a fish-and-chip shop, is brought from Earth to the World of Ideas by Socrates' beautiful assistant and involved in a series of debates about perception, morality and free will.

When philosophy's Big Names decline to help, Ben's guide decides he will get a more rounded education from amateurs. He will indeed on this showing, for some ill-advised dialogue has the great philosophers talking exclusively in clich�s.

There is good material, but this is not enough. The central character often wonders whether he should be out chasing girls rather than debating metaphysics. Done like this, the answer is yes.