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.

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!

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.