7.6 /10 1 Votes
Originally published 18 August 2001 | 3.8/5 Goodreads | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Genres Science Fiction, Speculative fiction Similar Starmind, Telempath, Callahan's Legacy, Starseed, Time Travelers Strictly C | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Free Lunch is a 2001 novel by Spider Robinson. The title is a reference to the adage "There ain't no such thing as a free lunch", popularized by science fiction writer Robert A. Heinlein in his 1966 novel The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress.
Synopsis
Twelve-year-old Mike is looking for a safe place to escape from the real world. Like Peter Pan, he seeks a fantastic sanctuary where he can stay without worry. Tomas Immega's amusement park, Dreamland, provides a completely immersive theme park experience, and seems to be just what Mike is looking for. Soon after escaping the guest tracking system, Mike meets Annie, a midget known as the Mother Elf, who has eked out a living in Dreamland for thirteen years caring for the park. Annie takes Mike in, but all is not well in Dreamland...
The story is full of references to other works: