The Facade [Paperback]

Michael S. Heiser (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2001

The plot of The Facade is driven by the fate of a team of scholars recruited for an Above-Top-Secret project against their will by a cabal of military insiders known only as "The Group." To gain the team's trust, the Group authorizes successive levels of disclosure to astonishing technologies, shocking alien artifacts, and documents which chronicle the clandestine history of the United States government's knowledge of UFOs - including Operation Paperclip, a secret program that recruited Nazi scientists for their technical knowledge. Nevertheless, it soon becomes apparent that nothing is what it seems. The Facade follows the team as they unpeel layer after layer of deception, uncovering a shocking revelation that will alter mankind's self-understanding forever - if they can discern which lie to believe. The unlikely center of the team is Dr. Brian Scott, a scholar of ancient semitic languages. Despite his credentials, Brian's life is overshadowed by his low self-esteem and his parents' unspeakable deaths. Brian is befriended by Father Andrew Benedict, a dignified but enigmatic priest, whose presence will dictate the direction Brian's life must take. After a tense initial briefing, Brian is confronted by Dr. Melissa Kelley for an insensitive remark made during the briefing. As angry as she is beautiful, Melissa's behavior toward Brian becomes increasingly antagonistic. Weeks of hostility pass until a selfless but reckless split-second decision on Brian's part alters their lives forever, leaving them dependent on one another for survival. A stunning climax leaves Brian and Melissa with only each other to trust, completely unaware of the larger, more sinister agenda only now beginning.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Mike Heiser is currently writing his Ph.D. dissertation in Hebrew Bible and Ancient Semitic Languages at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He holds an M.A. in Ancient History from an ivy-league institution, the University of Pennsylvania (major fields, Ancient Israel and Egyptology), and another M.A. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (Hebrew Bible and Ancient Semitic Languages). Mike is the recipient of several academic awards, and has written scholarly articles for several prestigious journals. Mike has taught theology, biblical studies, and world civilizations at the undergraduate level since 1992. Besides his formal academic training, Mike has had a life-long interest in the paranormal, particularly the UFO phenomenon. He is uniquely qualified to write on the intersection of ufology with ancient texts and mainstream religion. Mike currently resides in Madison, Wisconsin. He and his wife Drenna have three children.

Product Details

• Paperback: 524 pages
• Publisher: Superiorbooks.Com Inc (March 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1931055440
• ISBN-13: 978-1931055444
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (59 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #964,037 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars First novel I've used as reference book, August 29, 2005

By 

Derek P. Gilbert "Author of The God Conspiracy" (Charleston, Illinois, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Facade (Paperback)

Dr. Mike Heiser holds a Ph.D. in Biblical Hebrew and Ancient Semitic Languages, as well as masters degrees in Hebrew and Semitic Studies and Ancient History (Israel, Egypt). He's a Bible-believing Christian-and a believer in UFO phenomena.

That's the kicker. Mike is one of very few Christians who isn't afraid to fit ETs and UFOs into a Christian worldview.

The Facade is Mike's debut novel, written as "a break from my dissertation". The story follows Dr. Brian Scott, who, surprisingly (wink wink), is a scholar of biblical Hebrew and ancient Semitic languages. One evening after work, he's kidnapped and drugged by a couple of men in black, and awakens in an underground bunker beneath Area 51.

It seems that a virus of extraterrestrial origin has the potential to disrupt the Earth's climate with disastrous effect. A team of scientists, plus Brian and an elderly Jesuit priest, has been assembled by The Group, a shadow government within the government. Their mission is to figure out how to break the news to the public. Extra care is required because, you see, the virus is being spread artificially by its creators. In short, the UFOs are real.

It gradually becomes apparent, however, that Brian's research into the biblical bene elohim-the "sons of God"-may overturn The Group's plans. The alien entities that have forced The Group to disclose their presence may not be from outside our solar system, but from outside our three-dimensional existence.

He closes the book with a cliff-hanger that left me eagerly looking forward to the sequel, which, happily, he told me he's in the process of outlining now.

There are a couple of threads left loose, and a couple of the scenes feel a bit engineered so as to infuse the book with as much background as possible on the history of UFOs, cattle mutilation, Operation Paperclip (the smuggling of Nazi scientists into the US after WWII), underground bases, and black budget projects like the Aurora aircraft. I can forgive those scenes, however, because the information was so eye-opening that I keep The Facade at my desk for reference, the first work of fiction I've ever used for research. And even during the explanatory scenes, Mike avoids getting bogged down in minutiae, a trap that finally burned me out on Tom Clancy. (I only need to know the terrorists have a nuke, I don't need instructions for building one.)

For the reader interested in doing more research, Mike graciously filled an appendix with recommended books and websites. Unlike Dan Brown, whose Da Vinci Code is filled with errors that should be obvious to anyone who paid attention in Western Civ, Mike actually did his homework and then built his plot around the facts instead of twisting them to fit his worldview.

Mike Heiser is in demand as a speaker at UFO conferences. At first, it may have been for the novelty value; I'd guess that the words "Christian" and "UFO researcher" aren't often used in the same sentence. But Mike has shown, in public and in his novel, that he's not afraid to defend his conclusions based on the evidence. He has publicly offered to debate the leading proponents of the "aliens-created-us" theory anytime, anywhere.

I highly recommend The Facade to anyone with an interest in UFOs, alien abductions, and the like. Through fiction, Mike Heiser shows that it's not only possible, but essential, for Christians to understand the end times UFO deception.

36 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Right on the money - Beware the Watchers, June 1, 2001

By 

Jason R Blalack (Brick, NJ USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Facade (Paperback)

Having read many works in the modern ufo phenomena as well as those from the ancient past, I was pleased and blown away by what Heiser has written. He is so close to the truth that it really is disconcerting - he writes this as fiction (and a damn fine story at that) with every conceivable known fact thrown in - cattle mutes, semitic texts, nanotechnology, Mt. Weather, Area 51, cloning, OBE's, and the list goes on and on.

What he pulls off is one of the most enjoyable and thought provoking reads I've had since reading the late FR. Malachi Martin's works and Steven Hawking. Heiser knows his stuff and weaves a tapestry of fine storytelling without allowing the story to loose its purpose. I can't wait for his next book and plan on purchasing a copy of his disertation when he completes that as well. Even though Heiser doesn't have much use for the work of Zechariah Sitchin I highly reccommend checking out the 12th planet. The contribution of these two men on our origins and place in the universe is immense. Check it out, open your eyes, and hold on for the ride - you won't regret it.

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Eye-opening, November 5, 2003

By 

Robert A. Mullin "Author and Cryptozoologist" (Flagstaff, AZ USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Facade (Paperback)

Though the book shows some of the deficiencies of self-publication, The Facade has to be one of the most perspective-changing stories I have ever read. If you can ignore the fact that ninety percent of the action takes the form of a meeting during which opposing viewpoints are bantered back and forth, the real scholarly work shines through and grabs you by the eyes. This book makes me want to go out and learn how to read Hebrew for myself; the concept of a divine council is new to me, and gives the scriptural text so much more credence when viewed in its proper perspective. I hope that Mr. Heiser has a sequel in the works; he certainly left it open for one.