The Free Lunch

by Spider Robinson

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.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Fiction, Audiobook, Time Travel, Science Fiction Fantasy, Adventure

256 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published August 1, 2001

About the author

Spider Robinson is an American-born Canadian Hugo and Nebula award winning science fiction author. He was born in the USA, but chose to live in Canada, and gained citizenship in his adopted country in 2002.

Robinson's writing career began in 1972 with a sale to Analog Science Fiction magazine of a story entitled, The Guy With The Eyes. His writing proved popular, and his first novel saw print in 1976, Telempath. Since then he has averaged a novel (or collection) a year. His most well known stories are the Callahan saloon series.

Reviews

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another light SF read very similar to Heinlein's juveniles down to much of the writing style. The characters were very much Heinlein's. I could often tell what Annie was going to say before she said it. The setting, Dream World, features a Heinlein section with settings from some of his books. For all the Heinlein worship, it was a fresh, interesting story well narrated by the author. I really liked the way the back stories of Mike & Annie emerged. No data dumps, just a natural progression in a near future Earth.

On the down side, the main characters were a little too good to be true. Some of the computer & security wasn't up to par, either. It's obvious that Robinson isn't really up on either plus this was published in 2001, so those areas lack a sophistication that I think most users would expect now. Maybe not, but I found the simplicity & providential ease with which M&A navigated the system irritating at times. To have that tech & yet have so many holes defies logic. Of course, that happens often enough in the real world. Unfortunately, fiction has to be more believable than real life in some ways.

Anyway, it's not a terribly long book & is a lot of fun. I'll give it 3.5 stars & definitely recommend it.

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Free Lunch is an entertaining near-future stand-alone novel set in an amusement park. It's a bit out of the scope of of Robinson's usual work, as it features a young protagonist and isn't rife with puns and jokes. (Though there are clear nods to Robert A. Heinlein... TANSTAAFL.) I would say it has a YA feel to it, much like Heinlein's famous juveniles, but the two protagonists have a very troubling, uncomfortable relationship... Annie could be Mike's mother, but they share beds and bathrooms and nudity. Otherwise, it's a pleasant, happy, somewhat innocent story with a bit of inevitable melancholy at the end.

[Lizz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don’t write reviews.

This was a cool book. I’ve heard of Spider Robinson, but never actively sought him out. The Callahan stories were the ones on my radar. I’m lucky to have stumbled into The Free Lunch.

I can’t describe it except to say it’s PURE. Not that there’s no cussing or anything, but the story comes from the pure heart of imagination. The characters are delightfully charming, even the evil ones. It’s like when you see a cute kitten and you start baby-talking to it. Or a picture postcard that you put in a book because you never could throw it away. Whimsical yet somehow substantial. Yes. I’ll go with that.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok I will have to say right now I didn't get in to this book and it almost became the first DNF book of this year (or any for that matter) - when ever this happens I always wonder if its me with the book or the book with the story? So what went wrong - as I just didn't connect with the characters - yes the story was an intriguing one and the final explanations at the end of the book were both different and interesting, it just was a struggle getting there.

So the references to the theme park, now coming from the UK we don't really have parks like this yet in other countries they do exist so that was the first challenge for me. The second was that even though Disney was referred towards the end of the book you knew it was a major model for the concept and yet it was totally over looked (I guess legal reasons and artistic license were observed - although I do hate where you know exactly what the author is trying to say though for what ever reason they dare not).

And finally there were the characters - and this is where I think I struggled the most, they for the most part where caricatures and this got me thinking. The whole book felt like a series of ideas or scenes which were brilliant on their own but needed something to link them together and this is where the storyline came in.

Now I know Spider Robinson is a major writer and I have read some of his short fiction I guess I just chose the wrong book at the wrong time - although I do have say I did enjoy some of the literary references (poor of me considering I have criticised the book so for referencing) especially those to Robert Heinlein.

[Willow · Rating 3 out of 5]

More like 2.5 stars, really.

The Good: Mike may not be a badass like Ender, but he'd feel at home in Battle School, methinks. Exceedingly smart children are fun protagonists to watch, and Mike is very self-reflective and aware. Annie, too, makes for an interesting mentor -- one who can kick a liberal amount of ass when the story calls for it. Their dynamic is fun to watch.

I also think the description of the theme park is very well done. The "science" behind it at least sounds believable, and the culture of the place is has a very unique feel.

The Bad: What starts out as a standard bit of corporate espionage is quickly derailed by the time travel plot. I won't go into details, but I felt that the book would have been better off without this mess. Like Jurassic Park, Dream World should have been interesting enough to stand on its own. It's an incredibly complex, high-tech theme park with a host of secrets and a determined corporate nemesis -- why not develop that a little more?

The Ugly: The corporate heads were pretty flat, though definitely well-written. Would have liked to see a little more depth in both of them.

The Verdict: I listened to it on audiobook, and it was a relatively enjoyable few hours in the car. Not riveting, but not cringe-inducing either. There were some pretty good one-liners in there, and the author's skill with strange dialects and banter may be enough to pull me into another of his books, somewhere down the line.

[Jeff Yoak · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not one of my favorites by Robinson. It was great to have another full-length novel read by him in audio, but this one felt more like a short story that was stretched out. It also lacked his characteristic humor which is usually one of my favorite aspects of his stories. That said, it was a solid story. It just wasn't blindingly amazing like some of his others.

[Jessica Buzzard · Rating 2 out of 5]

Time travel tropes never work well for me. (Unless that is the point of the book like the St. Mary's series). This book started with a good premise and went downhill quickly when the time travel nonsense started.

The relationship between Mike and Annie also creeped me out a lot. The fact that she could have been his mom and they were sleeping in bed together naked. This was mentioned several times too and it made me incredibly uncomfortable.

Likely will not read more by this author.

[Vintagebooklvr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who hasn't thought they would like to spend forever in the happiest place on earth. Mike decides this exactly what he wants to do but must figure a way to sneak in and be part of the behind the scene world. But things aren't exactly as he expected when he finds another denizen well established there and something fishy is going on. There are too many trolls...

A fun story, with action, a bit of sadness and a bit of hope too. If we can imagine a place that is always happy maybe we can imagine a way to peace and saving the earth.

[Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting book, I have to admit. With the focus on the main male lead, this actually could've been a sci-fi, YA book, but has several scenes which clearly make it oriented more toward adults. Spider Robinson creates a fantastical world of escapism in "Dreamworld" - a place where people go to forget the problems of everyday life. Granted, admission into the place is uber expensive, but worth the cost.

For a young boy named Mike, he decides he wants to beat the system and live in Dreamworld. This comes at no easy task for the protagonist as he makes his plans and executes them, but he doesn't realize that he isn't the only one who lives "under". He meets the elder, tiny Annie, who is intrigued by him and takes him under her wing. However, both are drawn into a sinister set of events when a competitor of Dreamworld wants to tear it apart from the inside. They'll have to rely on each other, as well as a mysterious set of strangers that happen to appear in Dreamworld's interior, to stop the mastermind from bringing both Dreamworld and the fate of the Earth down with it.

I'll admit that I expected more from the story given the premise, but I was surprised to note how drawn to the story I was. Mike and Annie were very enjoyable to follow in the scheme of events (though I initially - and mistakenly - thought Annie was closer to Mike's age than she was - she's actually old enough to be his mother!) I also liked the world-building of Dreamworld, though I thought the futuristic setting could've had more flesh to it. Still, when taking the elements all into consideration, when I really sat down to read this in its entirety, it was worth the progressive read. I enjoyed it for what it offered.

Overall score: 3/5

[Wombat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, this is a fun, easy read - but feels a little shallow overall.
The main character is a young boy Mike, who is attempting to sneak into the world's best themepark, he makes it, and is surprised that someone else made it in before him and has lived, hidden, for over a decade.

Then things get weird - a competitor trying to put the park out of business, strange 'trolls' who are leaving the park.. And other assorted sci-fi strangeness. But it hangs together in a nice story, but only just, and possibly because it's moving along fast enough that you don't really get time to think about it much.

Nice trick that.

The writing isn't anything to rave about (especially after just having read Ray Bradbury) but it does it's job. The biggest problem is that Mike seems to be way to smart to be believable, reminds me a little of Bean in the Ender prequels.

Worth a read as it's fast and won't take much time, and this is a nice feel-good science fiction tale.

[Denis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I believe, based on the introduction, this was supposed to have been a collaborative work done with Spider and, was it David Gerrold? Anyhow, in the end, Spider wrote it himself. It is a light read with much of what Spider is known for: Optimism, Heinlein and pop music references, yet the hyper humour element is not there. No puns! That's alright though, those crazy Callahan books can get to be a little too much after a while.

I felt this was Spider attempting to write a Heinlein style juvenile novel. He did a decent job at it though I felt it really wasn't his thing, yet it seemed more reminiscent of the type of story Theodore Sturgeon would come up with rather than Heinlein: Troubled youth escapes to an amusement park staffed with mostly "little people".

A decently written adventure story. But a minor work from that of Spider Robinson.

[Sherron Wahrheit · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charming, warm, and humorous send up to Robinson’s hero, Heinlein and TANSTAFL (There ain’t no such thing as a free lunch.”) from The Moon is a Harsh Mistress. The setting is an amusement park, and humor reminds me a little of Craig Haaisen.

[Terry Grignon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent, entertaining and, best of all, read by the author. A hypnotic trip to a dreamworld but one that's beautiful and gritty. I only wish there was a sequel... I want to know what happens next!

[Swankivy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spider Robinson is one of the only "hard" SF writers who routinely captures my interest. Reading his work never feels like a slog, and the engagement he provides never feels like a cheap thrill or a manipulatively organized roller coaster. The pacing is smart and the ideas are digestible, and the author tends to keep his cast of character small enough that the relationships between each are worth something to read. He keeps his human characters truly multifaceted without it ever feeling stitched together, and he's one of the only "plotty" writers I know of who routinely acknowledges and devotes time to nuanced emotions. For instance, the protagonist has a crying fit toward the beginning that doesn't make sense to him--he doesn't even understand why he's crying, but some perspective indicates that it's a mixture of many emotions finally finding release when it's safe. This really helps with characters like this one, too--because he's a very bright and unusually competent little boy, so seeing that he has realistic emotions is really important in humanizing him.

I like that Spider Robinson is good at writing the kinds of characters science fiction readers relate to. Most of us are nerds, and a good number of us took advanced classes or were gifted. We're curious buggers and we like to figure things out. We can all relate to the curiosity Mike carries, and I betcha almost every reader felt like Robinson was speaking directly to them when he had his characters discuss the phenomenon of understanding a mystery, and how learning the mechanics behind a magic trick DOES NOT destroy its magic. If magic depends on deception and obscured truths to exist, it feels cheaper, not like mysticism preserved for the purpose of entertaining you. I like that both of this book's main characters want to know everything, and don't find it necessary to artificially preserve a mystery so they can continue to enjoy it without understanding it.

What I liked best besides this respect for curiosity was the relationship between Mike and Annie. It didn't feel forced, and I really enjoyed that they both wanted someone around who shared their interests and values, but they were different enough that they enhanced each other instead of just echoing each other. They both had tragic backstories that they didn't tell each other out of respect for each other's privacy, but they could recognize an alikeness and a sorrow in each other, and yet their relationship didn't feel like they stayed together because they "needed" each other. Neither was looking for someone like the other when they came together. And they both became very good at reading each other's emotions, preferences, and needs. I liked that a lot.

And as Dreamworld incorporates a bunch of fantastical themes and well-loved SF worlds, I thought it was cheeky of Robinson to slide a theme park attraction based on his own books into the venue. Ho ho.

I did have some beefs with the book and these are what kept me from offering five stars. The main one was the comparative flatness of the villains. Where else have you seen a fat, ugly, greedy, jealous, bitter man who sends cronies to do his bidding and is driven by a desire to wipe out happiness? Ya know. Most uninspired movies have a villain like that. I'm especially disappointed that the narrative kept drawing attention to the Big Bad's being fat, using it as a shortcut to communicate that he is unpleasant and fundamentally awful. I would really, REALLY like to see authors STOP doing this. You are better than this, guys--you can make us hate your villains without making them fat people and then dropping sentences about their inherent repulsiveness every time they're onscreen. A) It's fat shaming, and B) it's lazy. Beyond the bad guy being fat, though, his motivation felt a little false to me. And the inclusion of a straight-up torture scene from a Bond flick was pretty unnecessary, especially paired with Mike's annoying speech about how Haines will ~never~ really win because he has a black heart and is driven by hate and even his mommy probably didn't love him, which actually works to provoke and anger him. Come on now. That's some Disney villain stuff. (I will say it's nice that the kid had some strategy going in his torture situation, though, and that the narration made it clear that pain throws a lot of that desire to be brave out the window.)

Occasionally Plot with a capital P felt a little too sculpted; you know, stuff like overhearing important conversations people just happen to be having near the protagonist when he's out of sight, races against time whose ticking clocks were pretty contrived, purposeless midnight strolls that have our hero stumble into the story's climax, and Explain Everything at the End scripts that make some of the significance of the action feel slightly hollow. I didn't care for this book's ending, including the entire final chase scenes.

Also, the word "midget" is used throughout even though I'm certain "little people" had been the preferred term for a long time before this was published in the early 2000s. Some little people don't find that word offensive but the great majority (something like 90% in a survey?) do find it to be an insulting or negative term. I'm an inch too tall to technically be considered a little person, but I can definitely speak from experience that being called a "midget" almost always feels negative, and considering it did become popularized from the days when short-statured people were shown in exhibits, I'm kinda surprised it's used like an ordinary word in the book.

Lastly, I'm not sure if this was intentional--probably?--but I never did get a real sense of what was so wonderful about Dreamworld. I got the sense that it WAS wonderful. Everyone was always telling you that it was, and in general it seemed like a theme park on steroids with futuristic technology (some of which was explained a little bit). But the sense of wonder was only believable in that the characters felt it; I didn't often get a glimpse of its actual amazingness from the source, and though the Firefall thing and the invisibility trick with the tree and all that sounded . . . pretty? . . . I kinda wanted it to be more. The feeling of magic was definitely more palpable in the moments behind the scenes in what Mike felt from seeing backstage and gaining access to employee areas and secret areas. Based on how it was described at the beginning, I almost thought hallucinogenic drugs must be involved to get people so emotionally attached and hooked on it, though I do have some friends who are serious Disney fans so I guess that's not that hard to imagine. But yeah, Dreamworld itself felt more and more like an ordinary theme park the more I heard about it, and the characters continuing to discuss how mind-blowingly wonderful it is didn't ever quite make me shake that feeling.

Despite what I consider little shortcomings, this book was well worth the read and really, really fun, and I did consider giving it five stars because of how much fun I had reading it. But given the ending and the nitpicks above, I think four works for me. I have enjoyed every Spider Robinson book I've read and I think most people who like hard SF will really enjoy this.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a nice light science fiction read that satisfied my craving. Set in the year 2023, Mike goes to Dreamworld with the goal of living there because his world is too much to handle anymore. While there he meets Annie, and they begin to carve out this new life together. However, something is slowly starting to threaten the Dreamworld existence. I liked the characters and the setup, but it was a little slow to start for me. However, it definitely picked up once all the setup was done. It wasn’t my favorite book but it was far from anything I disliked.

[Cookie M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This audiobook was a nice surprise. It was a free copy in my Audible library that was about to expire, so I listened to it and found it delightful. The premise sounds like a tasteless joke: a midget, a dwarf and a 12 year old boy hide out in the bowels of a science fiction / fantasy themed amusement park. But it works! There is a lot going on in this one, skillfully narrated by the author, Spider Robinson, with dialects, vocal inflections, and emotional responses.

Audible members can no longer get this for free, but it is worth purchasing, and the book is worth a read, too.

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Light reading, very reminiscent of Heinlein's works.

[Trever · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great choice if you enjoy Spider Robinson's brand of warm, empathetic, "human" SF. If you're looking for hard SF or bleakness, move on - Spider's characters are flawed, likable people trying to find redemption, and his books are like warm winter socks. Many critics might dismiss the term "cozy", but when times are hard, that's not such a bad thing. "Free Lunch" is like a happy vacation into the theme park of your dreams, and shares the sort of escapist fun that made "Dream Park" such a hit all those years ago. It's about a young boy who escapes into Dreamland... literally, a huge, automated fantasy park of the Disney style, with areas devoted to SF, fantasy literature, counterculture icons, and even some self-reference (Callahan's bar). The plan is to "live the dream" - To hide out and live inside the park as a runaway, but things get more complex when our lad discovers that he's not the first to do this, and that there are powerful corporate forces outside the park that want to destroy it. Lots of enjoyable fun ensues. A great book for young and old alike.

[Bookfairy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun story, but it felt tedious and drawn-out as well, I think it would have worked much better as a novella. A time-travel, amusement "park" story and some underground networks of people keeping things in check... It all blurred together and then ended like a bad joke. Again, it wasn't *bad* I did enjoy several parts, but it should have been shorter.

[Kallierose · Rating 2 out of 5]

One of my least favorite Spider Robinson books. The characters did not grab my attention and the plot didn't interest me at all. For me, his stories are getting less and less interesting lately, and I miss the brilliance of his earlier work.

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Imagine the platonic ideal of a theme park, the model that Disney aspires to, but only sometimes approaches. Now take away all the negative baggage that Disney's corporate masters have accumulated. Hold that picture in your mind. That's Dreamworld.

But for every heaven there's a hell, and for every saint there's a sinner. Dreamworld has enemies. It also has a shadowy faction that's trying to us it for their own mysterious purposes. And Mike, as 12 year old runaway who has abandoned his old life to make a new home in Dreamworld, is caught in the middle.

The Free Lunch is a masterpiece, but that's true of pretty much everything Robinson has ever written. How does it compare to his other work? Somewhere in the middle. His very best stuff is a solid 6 out of 5, while even his weakest gets a full 5 out of 5. The Free Lunch scores about 5.5. It has great characters, a damn good plot, a wonderful setting, and some fascinating ideas, but it just doesn't quite make it to the level of perfection.

There are a couple of points that readers might have an issue with. The first, and most notable, is that many of the characters, including one of the main characters, are dwarves. I'm not 100% clear on the appropriate terminology, but I know that Robinson was trying to do his best and be respectful - I don't know if he accomplished that, but The Free Lunch came out just over 20 years ago, and terminology changes. He definitely meant well, but people with connections to the Little People community might not be comfortable with some of the words he used.

The other issue isn't about offense, but plausibility. Unlike Disneyland, which is based on Disney's own characters, Dreamworld is based on licensed IP - there's a Beatles section, a Heinlein section, and so on. Basically, Dreamworld is Spider Robinson's ideal theme park. That works for me, but if you aren't into the Beatles or Heinlein, you might have a hard time believing that such a park could become one of the world's most-visited tourist attractions. Of course, someone might have made the same argument about Disneyland back in '54.

Aside from those two minor issues, which I feel most readers will easily get over, this is a tour de force. Read it.

[Sarah B · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first I had thought this was just a fun adventure story about two people, a twelve-year-old boy and an older very short person, secretly living inside an amusement park. Dreamworld was supposed to be the best, happiest amusement park in the world..where nothing bad ever could happen. But soon the pair notice some strange things happening and others notice it too. More people are leaving the park everyday than entering it. But how can that be?

This book is not scary and it's not a thriller. It's more an adventure story with a science fiction twist to it. It's set in the future so there's some advance technology in it, stuff like wrist bands and invisibility and such. But the book is not about the rides..it's not about rides going wrong or trying to kill you. Instead it's about the two main characters who are trying to solve a mystery to protect the park that is their home while trying not to get caught by park officials (because they really should not be living in the park). It has a fast moving plot with plenty of danger and close calls. It's seen through the eyes of a young boy.

The other thing about this book - the big idea in it - refers to the title. Free Lunch..you heard the phrase before but what exactly does it mean? Truthfully I wasn't too sure (except for the obvious - someone getting something for free) and after reaching the end I think I understand it a little..it's sort of about the economy. Or in this book it is anyway. Supply and demand. I'm not sure I agree with the author (or the character?) but I think I can understand what they are trying to say. It also goes back to happiness, as Dreamworld is supposed to be an incredibly happy place. Wouldn't it be great if everyone could be happy? What actually makes people happy and how to really acheive it? So besides telling a very interesting story the end of the book also gives you things to think about. And all great sci-fi should do that, right?

I also like the cover image. The castle on the cover actually reminds me of the castle seen in The Little Mermaid, where King Triton lived. I've always liked that castle..

[Shan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was right up my alley. A 12-year-old kid finds a way to go live underground in Dreamworld, which is kind of like Disneyland but based on Beatles songs (there's a Penny Lane and a Strawberry Fields) and Heinlein novels. He meets up with a woman who's lived there for 13 years, ever since the place opened, who has become a legend as the Mother Elf. Some mysterious things start happening, and the guy who owns Thrillworld is trying to destroy Dreamworld. Mike and Annie have to figure out what's going on and save the place they love.

It's reminiscent of Heinlein's juvenile novels, and the title's a tribute to Heinlein's TANSTAFL (there ain't no such thing as a free lunch)--not sure which book that comes from, possibly more than one. The technology is advanced but the popular culture context is older, which I know because it's all familiar to me, unlike actual current popular culture (or even pop culture from 2001, when it was published). In a foreword, Robinson says the idea came from a conversation he had with John Varley and David Gerroldin 1984, although it didn't get written till much later, so that probably explains it. It does feel like a bit of a throwback.

I loved the setting, deep inside a place where everyone is meant to be happy, and I'm glad the story didn't take a cynical turn and show us a gritty underbelly. The explanation of the mysterious events was entertaining; the premise underlying that part of the plot was implausible but fun to think about anyway. There are truly bad bad guys and truly good good guys, and lots of ingenuity and determination and grit, in the good sense.

[Cora · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dreamworld is an amusement park...along the lines of Disney or Six Flags, but seems to be themed around Beatles songs. It's the happiest, best place in the world, staffed with little people (midgets and dwarves) along with a few full size people. The book starts out with 12-year-old Mike breaking into Dreamworld with the intentions of never leaving. He soon meets Annie, an adult little person, who has been living "under" in Dreamworld for 13 years.

They develop a friendship and soon discover that something odd is happening in Dreamworld. Employees are counted as they enter and leave the park daily. Lately, more have been leaving than have entered. Annie is determined to find out why.

I really hate to give away more than that. This is science fiction. While one of the main characters is a 12-year-old boy, I wouldn't necessarily say it's a children's book. There are some swear words, but nothing too terrible or irrelevant. If I had an 11 or 12 year old wanting to read this book, I would let them. It's pretty fast paced, very imaginative, very thought provoking. I really enjoyed it.

No time is wasted in the beginning of the book explaining why Mike wanted to live in Dreamworld, nor why Annie has been there for 13 years. I love books that don't waste time with drama like that. When the time was right (towards the end of the book) the reader finds out why. All the questions are answered.

[Nicholas Whyte · Rating 3 out of 5]

https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/an-additional-book-set-in-2023-the-free-lunch-by-spider-robinson-bookssetin2023/

The setting is an American theme park in 2023, where our twelve-year-old protagonist decides to establish himself as a runaway from desperate circumstances. He befriends a woman who has been living undercover in the park since before he was born, and then both need to deal with the ongoing threat posed to them by park security, and also incidentally the time travellers from a doomed future who have started appearing in the park’s midst.

The future technology here is entirely to do with surveillance systems and how to evade them, and the weapons used by the various goons. It’s not very exciting, really, and misses the key point that could have been made about the political dominance of the entertainment induistry. The story offensively romanticises homelessness and disability. Too much of the plot depends on just happening to be in the right place at the right time for it to be believable even on its own terms. It’s difficult also to see who the intended audience are – the protagonist is twelve, as mentioned above, but the violence is pretty squicky for a YA book.

[Fred Snyder · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was cute, but isn't going to make anyone's Greatest Ever list
Most of the action takes place at a Disney-like theme park, but there's some bits of future technology that make it truly the happiest place on Earth. The book tries to explain how they work, but I had some trouble suspending my disbelief.
There's also lots of assumptions made about details in the park that I just glossed over, not central to the story, and never really get explained. Like "The China That Never Was" or "Heinlein World." I'm a fan of Heinlein and I didn't get most of the throw-away references outside of the title of the book.
Staff at the park is broken down into humans, Cousins, trolls and elves. Elves and trolls get explained, sort of, but I never did figure out what a Cousin was.
Oh, the plot, you say? Surely covered by other reviews, but in summary, boy sneaks into the theme park and lives behind the scenes, makes friends, makes enemies, discovers a plot to upend civilization as we know it. I was a little surprised by the plan (the "free lunch" of the title) but I still had trouble believing it. That's just not how any of this works.

[Alex Shrugged · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought "The Free Lunch" was going to be a children's book or at least young teen book, but I was WRONG. This is a short but interesting book about two misfits who find themselves as part of the Dreamworld underground, and found the perfect place to escape reality.... almost.

I am reminded of the book "Ready Player One" because of the dream-like lack of reality the characters are playing in. It's all fun and games until someone puts an eye out and golly, it can get dangerous. Children are in danger and threatened with death. People die... unpleasantly. People crap on the ground. A boy urinates on himself.

I'm telling you this so that you are prepared.

Any modesty problems? Other than the outside bathroom antics, there is vulgar language used.

Despite all this, the book kept my attention and I cared about what would happen to the characters. The ending was reasonable although I wanted to know a little bit more about what would happen next. There is room for a sequel, but this book was published in 2002. If the sequel hasn't happened by now, it's not going to happen.

[January · Rating 1 out of 5]

The Free Lunch by Spider Robinson
3h 24m narrated by the Author, Spider Robinson, 256 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Juvenile Fiction, [Not in My Opinion] Science Fiction, Fantasy

Featuring: Fake Disneyland, Little Boy, Secret Underground, Elves, Lot of Profanity, Trolls, Violence - Torture, Fake Universal Studios Hollywood, Time Travel

Rating as a movie: PG-13 for adult language

My rating: ⭐️🎢🎡

My thoughts: 📱12% 53:08 fourteen minutes into [Chapter] 3. Soaking eight minutes from [Chapter] 4. Meanwhile in Mordor - This may get abandoned with the quickness. I don't do maggots. I'm also going to have to look up how many times a PG-13 movie can use Shit.

I had a hard time believing this is a Juvenile Fiction book. Ignoring the more than 3 dozen uses of profanity, a child is interrogated mafia-style with violence, and the plot is nonexistent. It wasn't enjoyable at all and lacked color, this story was dull and gray. I was expecting something exciting.

Recommend to others: Nope, never.

[Roger · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Free Lunch is a clever book. Essentially the reader is presented a series of Chinese Boxes. You may think you know what is going on, but open a box (read a chapter) and boom! The plot takes an unexpected turn. Of course I am not going to reveal any of those clever plot twists in this review. I will tell you that the novel starts with the infiltration of Dreamworld, a futuristic amusement park that makes the Magic Kingdom looks like a kiddy carnival, by a twelve year old boy who has decided the place is so magical he would like to live there. Then he finds he is not alone...this is not a spoiler by the way you can read that much on the back of the book. Dreamworld itself sounds like a great place-there are sections devoted to The Princess Bride and the works of Robert A Heinlein. (Hence the Free Lunch of the title actually refers to the Heinlein quote: "There is no such thing as a free lunch.") Spider Robinson is a great admirer of RAH so this is a nice tip of the hat.

[Juan Sanmiguel · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the early 21st century, Dreamworld is an amusement park based on the works of Robert A. Heinlein and John Lennon. People leave the park as better humans. Mike is a runaway who tries to escape to Dreamworld. There he finds Annie a midget who has been living underneath Dreamworld for years. Annie takes Mike under her wing. Together they try to figure out how come more elves leave the park than come in. At the same time they must stop Haines, the evil owner of Thrillworld, from destroying Dreamworld. Spider creates an amusement park anyone would like to runaway to. He also creates some interesting characters along the way. There is also an optimistic outlook on the future. We may have the answers to our problems if we are willing to trust. The ending leave it open for a sequel. I hope there is.