The Facade

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 no

Mike was a professor of mine in college. The Facade is not just a novel, it is actually a very theologically sound look into something most scholars care to pass over. Mike, with his expertise in ancient texts, is able to see clearly what most of us have not seen at all. This is not "out of left field" sort of hermeneutic - it is solid interpretation of the text and its very real implications. Modernists will have a hard time with this - that is putting it mildly. Yet, anyone who believes there is another dimension to life and we are not all there is - needs to at least consider the validity of this book. After saying that - I have to say - it is an easy read. Mike has really done a great job keeping the reader entertained as well as educated. I read it fast and then read it again. I have recommended it to all of my friends - and I highly recommend it to you.

Having read many works in regard to the modern UFO phenomena as well as those in our ancient past, I was pleased and blown away by what Heiser has written. He is so close to truth that it is really disconcerting - he writes this as fiction (and a damn fine story at that) with every conceivable known fact and conspiracy thrown in - cattle mutes, semetic 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. Heiser knows his stuff and is able to weave a tapestry of fine storytelling without allowing the story to lose 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. Check it out, open your eyes, and hold on for the ride - you won't regret it.