NASA's 1st Mission to Mars - For What?!!!


Fiction - Humor/Comedy
276 Pages
Reviewed on 08/26/2017
Buy on Amazon

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Free Book Program, which is open to all readers and is completely free. The author will provide you with a free copy of their book in exchange for an honest review. You and the author will discuss what sites you will post your review to and what kind of copy of the book you would like to receive (eBook, PDF, Word, paperback, etc.). To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email.

Author Biography

Complete bio is listed on our Amazon writer's page below:
https://www.amazon.com/Michael-and-Danny-DAgostino/e/B01FCE279U

    Book Review

Reviewed by Romuald Dzemo for Readers' Favorite

NASA's 1st Mission to Mars — For What?!!! by Michael and Danny D'Agostino is a satirical comedy that answers the question: Why spend billions to send someone to a planet as harsh as Mars and why send someone who is not a career astronaut, but a penniless man who lives on the fringes of society in a cardboard box and who earns his keep by begging on the streets? Stanley Marczek is penniless, a man of grit who has learned to survive in extremely harsh conditions. He is tired of his cardboard box and begging on the streets, and the opportunity to escape his miserable lifestyle and the incessant pursuits of his ex, whose need for money never diminishes, presents itself in the form of an ad by NASA to travel to Mars for $3 million. And he ends up being NASA's favorite choice, but why?

Michael and Danny D'Agostino have created a compelling character in Stanley Marczek and readers become interested in him because of his outspoken character, his emotional and psychological depth, and the humanity he exudes. This is your perfect blend of sci-fi and comedy with powerful satirical undercurrents. I enjoyed the way the protagonist’s world is portrayed and readers will easily relate to him. Apart from exploring the benefits and raison d’être of the mission to Mars, this novel explores the protagonist’s relationships with people in Tent City, his girlfriend Hannah, a Viet Nam veteran, and his dog. The story is well-written and readers can feel the excitement as an unusual character gets picked for NASA’s mission, but his return to earth raises questions that should be considered in real life. The writing is awesome and readers are pulled in from the very first page. The story is told from the perspective of the protagonist in an absorbing kind of way. NASA's 1st Mission to Mars — For What?!!! is a work of great entertainment, but one that asks questions that need serious answers. Get ready for a delightful ride as you pick this book up.

Christian Sia

NASA's 1st Mission to Mars - For What?!!! by Michael and Danny D'Agostino is a spellbinding mix of drama, sci-fi, and humor, delivered in a style that is inimitable, and featuring awesome, just awesome characters on a rollicking ride to Mars and back. If you have ever given a thought to NASA’s mission to the uninhabitable planet called Mars, then you’ll want to read this book. But you would also want to read it if you enjoy a good laugh. The story is entertaining and thought-provoking, written by experts who know the NASA world from very close quarters.

Stanley Marczek was once a famous man, but he has fallen from a position of fame and is now living in a tent in a not-so-popular part of Chicago. But things are going to change for him because he’ll be the first man to walk on Mars. And NASA has its reasons for picking someone who isn’t a career astronaut to travel to Mars. Marczek accepts the offer from NASA, travels to Mars and comes back, and now he is telling the truth about that expedition, in his own way, whether people like it or not. Mission accomplished, he questions the wisdom of the expedition that would cost billions of dollars just to send people to a planet that is uninhabitable.

There is a lot to enjoy in this spellbinding story and the first thing that grabbed my attention was the drama. Yes, it is intense and intoxicating and readers will feel irresistibly absorbed into the narrative. The characters are exceptionally well developed and the writing is excellent. The use of dialogue is masterful and Michael and Danny D'Agostino have the gift of making readers fall for their characters. I enjoyed the well-crafted dialogues, the swift pacing, the memorable characters, but it is the humor, the fun, and the satire that made NASA's 1st Mission to Mars - For What?!!! a delightful read for me.

Sefina Hawke

NASA's 1st Mission to Mars - For What?!!! by Michael and Danny D'Agostino is a fictional humor/comedy novel that would appeal most to a diverse audience of young adults and adults who enjoy stories about traveling to other planets and who do not mind some profanity. The story is designed to make light of the idea of sending a manned mission to Mars when it would cost billions and there is so little to gain. Stanley Marczek, also known as Joksey, goes from a penniless, homeless man living in a box to being an astronaut selected by NASA for a nineteen-month trip to Mars. When NASA chose Joksey, they figured he would come back, collect his money, and live well as a hero. They never anticipated him coming back and questioning why there was a manned mission to Mars in the first place. Will Joksey be able to overcome his challenges with the help of his friends, or is he destined to be forgotten?

NASA's 1st Mission to Mars - For What?!!! by Michael and Danny D'Agostino is a well written, realistic science fiction novel with plenty of humor and character development. One of the aspects that I really enjoyed was that the book did not just focus on the NASA mission, but also on Joksey’s life, his interaction with his friends, and his own feelings. The way the authors used Joksey to express their own opinions on the waste of funds, manpower, and time in conducting a manned mission to Mars was both entertaining and interesting. I never really thought about how stupid it would truly be to send a manned mission to a planet that really has nothing to offer until Joksey laid it out for me with his blunt, 'take no prisoners' attitude. Overall, I have to say that the humor of the story kept a smile on my face and the realistic science fiction elements kept my mind intrigued from the first page until the last!



Anne-Marie Reynolds

NASA's 1st Mission to Mars - For What?!!! by Michael D’Agostino and Danny D’Agostino is a comedic look at the first manned mission to Mars. Stanley Marczek is broke and sleeping in a cardboard box. So why did NASA ask him to become the first man to walk on the surface of Mars? Why a civilian and not a trained astronaut? The results from his screening were better than anyone else’s and he has courage, a man of true grit. So, he goes, earns his $3 million, and comes back as a hero. But then the questions start – why do we need to send humans to Mars? What is the point of it? Marczek proves to be a huge embarrassment to NASA as he tells it like it is, no holds barred.

NASA's 1st Mission to Mars - For What?!!! by Michael D’Agostino and Danny D'Agostino is a contemporary story that will suit a wide audience. It is incredibly well written and funny, with plenty of laugh out loud lines in the book. There were several storylines going on at once, not just the manned mission, but tales of relationships and personal obstacles to overcome. I thought the character development was excellent and the manner of writing, with a little swearing along the way, was incredibly fitting for the story. This will make you question the wisdom of spending so much money to visit a planet that is, to all intents and purposes, uninhabitable. This is a tale that is full of drama, excitement, adventure, humor and honesty, and I believe that anyone will enjoy this as something very different to read.