Rover's Day Out

I don't normally go for science-fiction stories, especially ones that depend so much on envisioned future technology -- the "nuts and bolts", as it were. Here, it is initially disguised as a normal morning routine, and that made it easier to swallow. Having to go through the same routine a few times may be an issue, but I found I didn't mind it: it was only the second time around that seemed a little superfluous. The third time round was the actual run, and then it became a question of following the routine in spite of the obstacles.

I enjoyed my time out as Rover. I would have like to have understood what was really happening behind the simulation that I was seeing, but it didn't matter much.

I would also have like to have examined the supposedly damaged ancible antenna, to know that it WAS damaged rather than that it "might" have been damaged -- the text at that point seemed to speculate that there might have been damage, and not actually outright say that there was damage. Also, I think I would have liked to have figured out for myself what David was up to, through various clues over the course of the return.

There were a couple of bugs related to the battle with the Earth ships. I was able to brush off each attack attempt with "scratch back" even though it should have worked only once, and I was also able to sic Rover on the invading droids or technicians multiple times, even though, again, I should have been able to do this only once. In fact, after the second of Rover's attacks, Rover's position on the ship became ... rather interesting. At one point there were two copies of him in the room with me.

As a breakfast, this is three soft-boiled eggs (great if you love eggs), sausages and baked beans, and a cup of strong coffee.