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
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.
What do You think about The Free Lunch (2002)?
Almost abandoned this one during the first few chapters. Author reading was good, but a bit too "soft" a voice for late night driving. Likeable characters. Look for more of this author.
—Ellen
I get that Robinson's not a brilliant writer, but something in what he does is very good at reaching me sympathetically where other writers might not. Maybe this is because subtlety isn't one of his strengths; nothing gets cloaked in pretty words at the expense of immediacy of feeling (and despite his politics-lite frequent subject matter, he's definitely a feel-y writer, not think-y). This sweet fantasy fit that bill and was instrumental in getting me back to reading more after a long post-college lapse of only the occasional book; it stirred a hunger.She put a gentle hand on his shoulder. "I believe my role at this time is to produce soothing cliches," she said softly, "but I do hate sounding like an idiot. I can't say 'I know how you feel,' because I don't. I can't say 'It wasn't your fault,' because you obviously know that and it doesn't help, enough. I can't say 'You did your best,' because you just told me that, and it obviously doesn't help, either. Hell, you've never once done less than your best for me, and you've only known me a week."He tried to smile. "It's okay, Annie.""Perhaps it will be," she said, "if you'll listen to just one cliche. One you may not already know.""Sure.""It's okay to be glad it's over."
—Zeo
Do you ever just want to run away from your fears and troubles? Escape to a different place (like a dream) to experience more happiness in your life?In the book "The Free Lunch" the author (Spider Robinson) tells about two children going to Dreamworld where you can only go through fun times and happiness. A young teen named Mike goes to Dreamworld from out of his dark and hlum life. When he arrives to Dreamworld he first meets a girl around his age named Annie, who has experienced just about the same life as Mike has. Later on in the book, Mike and Annie discover that there is a trouble about to strike on Dreamworld. They cannot figure out who or what is trying to destroy Dreamworld, so I guess you can say that Annie and Mike are like the superheros of the story. They try to stop this nonsence and try to save Dreamworld, the Earth and the rest of life.This is a very interesting book that many people that are into fiction should read. I really enjoyed it.
—Benjamin Cvitkusic
