The Worst Man on Mars

Duke and Roman inspire much laughter in their first book, which features a British crew on the first manned trip to Mars in 2029. Mission commander Flint Dugdale is looking forward to becoming the first man to set foot on the red planet. However, his position as leader was only achieved through luck and the suspicious death of the original commander. Dugdale’s personality is loathsome, but at least the ship has reached its orbit. There’s only one problem: the domed habitat where the team is meant to survive is not ready. The androids sent ahead to prepare the facility have failed, and the reasons become clear as their ridiculous antics unfold. The story moves swiftly between the struggles of the crew with their ship’s hysterically intrusive programming and the bumbling, anthropomorphized androids. Plenty of intriguing plot twists expand the story and its characters. With humor that ranges from slapstick to the macabre, this story reveals the absurdity that might ensue if technology is endowed with too much personality. (BookLife)

This review has been modified to reflect the price and ISBN of the trade paperback edition of the book rather than the e-book.