The Free Lunch

Review ''You get much more than you bargained for in this fun-filled yet serious novel. Spider's the antidote for entropy, the blahs, and the pernicious notion that humor and good grace are absent from the SF field.'' --Ben Bova, award-winning science fiction novelist ''The Free Lunch is a fast-moving homage to the lighter side of Robert A. Heinlein . . . Robinson knows how to generate tension without losing his sense of humor, a more difficult trick than you can imagine.'' --New York Times''Mike and Annie are the kind of characters that return to mind long after the book is done, and the tale is as jaunty as only Spider can make it in his Callahan mode. How can you possibly fail to enjoy this one?'' --Analog magazine ''[A] smoothly written, well-paced romp.'' --Publishers Weekly''Veteran SF humorist Robinson takes on American cultural icons with his customary love for irony and clever wordplay. A good choice for SF collections.'' --Library Journal ''Swift pacing and ingratiating characters make what is actually a pretty hackneyed affair awfully amusing.'' --Booklist''Mike and Annie are the kind of characters that return to mind long after the book is done, and the tale is as jaunty as only Spider can make it in his Callahan mode. How can you possibly fail to enjoy this one?'' --Analog magazine ''[A] smoothly written, well-paced romp.'' --Publishers Weekly''Veteran SF humorist Robinson takes on American cultural icons with his customary love for irony and clever wordplay. A good choice for SF collections.'' --Library Journal ''Swift pacing and ingratiating characters make what is actually a pretty hackneyed affair awfully amusing.'' --Booklist Product Description [*Read by the author - 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. As if this were not trouble enough, the two discover that each day there are more of the ''trolls'' who maintain Dreamworld than there were the day before. As the trolls continue to multiply, they 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 Earth's future is at stake. Only Mike and Annie, two unconventional heroes, can save it. About the Author SPIDER ROBINSON is renowned for his 'Callahan's Place' series of bestselling novels. With his wife, Jeanne, he has written the award-winning 'Stardance' series. Winner of three Hugo Awards and a Nebula Award, he currently resides on an island near Vancouver, British Columbia, and writes a regular editorial column, ''Future Tense,'' for the Globe and Mail. He is a favorite guest at sci-fi conventions across the United States and Canada.