"What happens when your dream mission to Mars is a reality TV nightmare? This debut science-fiction romp with heart follows the tradition of Ray Bradbury's Martian Chronicles with a dash of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. For the six lucky scientists selected by the Destination Mars! corporation, a one-way ticket to Mars--in exchange for a lifetime of research--was an absolute no-brainer. The incredible opportunity was clearly worth even the most absurdly tedious screening process. Perhaps worth following the strange protocols in a nonsensical handbook written by an eccentric billionaire. Possibly even worth their constant surveillance, the video of which is carefully edited into a ratings-bonanza back on Earth. But it turns out that after a while even scientists can get bored of science. Tempers begin to fray; unsanctioned affairs blossom. When perfectly good equipment begins to fail, the Marsonauts are faced with a possibility that their training just cannot explain."--Provided by publisher.

Includes book discussion questions.