The Free Lunch [Mass Market Paperback]

Spider Robinson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 19, 2002

Under the facade of the world's finest theme park lies a secret which could alter the course of human history.

Mike and Annie, refugees from the world outside, find a home underground, behind the scenes of Dreamworld, a theme park where hope exists as it does nowhere else. But Dreamworld is threatened by a jealous competitor who kills what he can't have. And if this were not trouble enough, Mike and Annie discover that each day there are more of the "trolls" who maintain Dreamworld then there were the day before. As the "trolls" continue to multiply, Mike and Annie must discover why....or it could mean the end of Dreamworld--and the real world.

Knotted in conflict and turmoil, what was a wonderful, carefree place becomes a battleground on which the fate of Earth's future is at stake. And only Mike and Annie, two unconventional heroes, can save it.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This smoothly written, well-paced romp from Canadian author Robinson (Telempath) takes places in 2023 at Dreamworld, a Disneyland-style park, whose themes draw from SF, fantasy and 1960s popular culture. Twelve-year-old Mike tries to hide himself in Dreamworld, but runs into the "Mother Elf," a midget named Annie. Comparing notes, they begin to suspect that Dreamworld is being infiltrated, but by whom? They first suspect "aliens," then agents of Alonzo Haines, proprietor of Dreamworld's spatterpunk rival, Thrillworld. Then they discover that Haines's formidable enforcer, Randall Conway, is after the aliens and after them as well. Mike and Annie ally themselves with the mystery folk, particularly an ingenious little gentleman named Hormat with an arsenal of high-tech dirty tricks, simply in order to stay alive long enough to find out where Hormat is literally coming from. In due course, after Conway gets what he deserves, all secrets are revealed, with Hormat's being so unoriginal as to be almost anticlimactic. Besides piling on the warm fuzzies, Robinson pays blatant homage to Robert A. Heinlein, retelling the classic youth-and-mentor tale of that author's juveniles and referring extensively to his work in the Dreamworld themes. The conclusion hints at a sequel in which Mike and Annie will infiltrate Thrillworld. Fans of lightweight SF should be pleased. (Aug. 27)Hugo, Nebula and John W. Campbell awards.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

When young runaway Mike seeks refuge in Dreamworld, the world-famous theme park, he discovers that he is not the first to hide away in the park's underground passages. Along with veteran stowaway Annie, Mike learns that creatures known as Trolls have invaded Dreamworldand they seem to have a sinister reason for their presence in the park. Veteran sf humorist Robinson (the Callahan series) takes on American cultural icons with his customary love for irony and clever wordplay. A good choice for sf collections.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Tor Science Fiction; First Edition edition (August 19, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812540220
• ISBN-13: 978-0812540222
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #797,415 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Spider's Back, doing what he does best, November 17, 2001

By 

Alan Robson (Wellington, New Zealand) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Free Lunch (Hardcover)

The Free Lunch is another of Spider Robinson's Heinlein impressions - and a damn good one it is as well! Dreamworld is a future theme park where all your dreams come true (under carefully controlled scientific conditions). Mike is a young, disillusioned boy who needs to escape from a reality that has become unbearable for him. He is a typical Heinlein juvenile; mature beyond his years with a vast knowledge of scientific and engineering principles and a quirky, clever mind. He manages to infiltrate Dreamworld where he plans to live a lotus-eating life away from the worries and responsibilities of reality. Underground in Dreamworld, he meets Annie, another refugee, who has been living there for more than thirteen years. She becomes his mentor.

It soon starts to become clear that there is a crisis in Dreamworld. Every evening, more staff leave the theme park than arrived in the morning - and the staff who leave are all trolls. Where are they coming from? Mike and Annie explore various hypotheses, each more outré than the last. But the truth turns out to be even stranger than anything they had imagined.

It's a great slam-bang adventure. Those with eyes to see will find it stuffed to the gunwales with Heinleinesque touches (Robinson can't resist the homage) but unlike some of his other books these touches aren't too overt and by and large they don't get in the way. He's also curbed his self-indulgent tendency to write self-referential novels full of science fictional in-jokes (I suspect he's found that they sell only to a very limited audience). As a result, The Free Lunch is one of his best novels in years and I strongly recommend it.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Spider Robinson's latest adventure, August 5, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Free Lunch (Hardcover)

Spider Robinson spins another whimsical tale. Like many of Robert Heinlein's juvenile books, Robinson's young hero, Mike, manages feats that adults would find difficult. However Mike and his mentor, Annie are both geniuses (another Heinlein title character trait)so they can manage three impossible things before breakfast. Robinson's Dreamworld is definitely a place I want to visit. Filled with exhibits reflecting Heinlein, Beatles and other cultural icons of the twentith century, the park is a walk down memory lane for baby boomer scifi fans. Read and enjoy, then pass it on to a favorite twelve year old kid and hook him or her on science fiction.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Roll Over, Walt!, February 27, 2002

By 

Howard Bolling (White Hall, Md USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Free Lunch (Hardcover)

DreamWorld is a thinly veiled, future-ized DisneyWorld, with advances in customer, er, guest, psychology that provide an almost seamless, happy experience to everyone. When a boy runs away and goes "under," or behind the scenes, he's aware that the ripple effect of his behaviour will be so widespread. 'Nuff said about the plot; read it for yourself.

I've been a fan of Spider Robinson's for a long time, from the early Callahan's stories on. Is this his best work? I don't know; I do know I like it. It's written in his trademark irreverent, poke-fun-at-the-silly-things style, and it kept my attention all the way through. The end is fitting, if just a little weak.