GARY SCANNEL

Having read and enjoyed some of Heiser's other work, I jumped at the opportunity to begin the 'Facade' series in audiobook format when it was suggested by my subscription service. The notion of alternate history or fiction woven around real, verifiable programs, documents, and relics has been of interest to me since the first assassin-versus-templar video game, so I was sure I'd easily get into the story. On that, 'Facade' did not disappoint. However, only moments into the first chapter, I was laughing hysterically. The over-the-top melodrama of Mike Duty's delivery came across like a freshman drama student sure to be assigned to set building. The inclusion of audible "wipes" (I'm sure there's a term I don't know for that) between scenes, intermittent sound effects, and music likely repurposed from 80s adult films only served to underscore and highlight the daytime soap feel. That said, the 'Facade' audiobook is still quite entertaining and thought provoking. Like 'The Play That Goes Wrong', the story is not diminished by the things that made me laugh. In fact, if listening while driving long distances as I often do, it proves vastly more engaging than monotonous droning or AI mispronunciation and erroneous emphasis. For anyone interested in the possibility of links between UFOs/UAPs and Biblical text, 'Facade' is a must.