The Apollo Deception

by Mitch Silver

Gary Stephens is brought into a government-sanctioned cover-up when he discovers that his father helped fake the Apollo 11 moon landing in the 1960s.

After China announce a space mission to place their own flag next to the one US astronauts planted during the Apollo 11 mission, few people bat an eyelid. Shortly after this statement Charlie Stephens, a 81-year-old former filmmaker, is murdered. The incident is made to look like an accident, but why?

Going through his father’s effects, Gary Stephens – a director of beer and yogurt ads – discovers seven cans of old 35mm film. Dated before the landing, they’re identical to the footage NASA claims was shot by the Apollo 11 crew. The US flag is not and has never been in the Sea of Tranquillity, and only Tricky Dick and a handful of others knew it.

Why was the real nature of the Apollo 11 mission kept hidden? And what measures will be taken to keep the secret buried?

Genres: Thriller, Fiction

224 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2019

About the author

Mitch Silver was born in Brooklyn and grew up on Long Island. He received a B.A. in history from Yale and briefly attended Harvard Law School. He later became an advertising writer for several of the big New York agencies.

Mitch and his wife Ellen live in Greenwich, Connecticut and have two grown children.

Reviews

[Leo · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.7 stars. Found this to be fun thriller that plays on the idea that there was no moon landing in 1969. I put aside my personal believes and listened to this as an audiobook and found it to be a pleasant thrilling read. It fast paced and have a lot of conspiracy theories and mysteries to keep it interesting.

[Joan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Following China’s announcement of its plan to land men on the moon and plant its flag beside the American flag on the Sea of Tranquility, a former filmmaker dies in what is purported to be an accident.

While going through his father’s things, Gary Stephens, a filmmaker himself, finds several reels identical to the televised 20 July 1969 Apollo 11 lunar landing. If there was no lunar landing in 1969, what will happen when the Chinese astronauts arrive at the Sea of Tranquility and find there is no American flag there? The world will know the widely-publicized Apollo 11 mission was nothing but a fake . . . and the Chinese will claim the moon for China.

A panicked NASA hastily puts together a “Dark Side” lunar mission to beat China to the moon and place a weathered American flag on the Sea of Tranquility where the Chinese astronauts expect to find it, thus keeping the Chinese from discovering and revealing the hoax of the Apollo 11 lunar landing.

Will the plan work? And who are the people trying to jeopardize the secret mission and its daring crew?

If, like many readers, you’ve ignored all those nonsensical conspiracy theory books that maintain “we never went to the moon” because you feel it’s a slap in the face to the thousands of folks who worked the missions, paid the price, and ventured beyond our planet, the author acknowledges that, despite the story he’s penned, he [like this reviewer] is certain Neil Armstrong actually made that “one small step, one giant leap.”

So, why read this book? For one thing, the writing is good. Really good. And the prospect of exploring the idea of what might have happened had Armstrong, Aldrin, and Collins not actually gone to the moon is rather intriguing. Why deceive everyone? And what would happen if someone revealed that stunning duplicity?

The characters in this science fiction narrative are realistic; the plot, while bouncing around between past and present, has some unexpected twists and spins out a fantastic science fiction tale that’s great fun. Readers looking for a quick read will enjoy the fabricated narrative filled with international intrigue, spies . . . and a trip to the moon.

[Lianne Burwell · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun read, but by the time I reached the climactic chapter, I was wondering if it was meant to be a farce. And then I decided that whether or not the author meant it that way, it definitely became complete farce. I mean, really? Things went straight off the rails in a way that was ridiculous, but still lots of fun. Kind of like the movie Armageddon.
Thanks to Netgalley and Severn Press for letting me read this book.

[Bandit · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m the first to review this book properly and I’m glad to have such good things to say about it. Of all the terrifically imaginative and highly entertaining conspiracy theories out there, the Moon Landing has always stood out not only as the most plausible, but also as the one that would be the easiest to carry out. Think about it…the nation vying for supremacy, locked in an intense Space Race with a major global power, the leader making promises to put the man on the Moon within a given deadline, an Apollo mission bound to do once and for all proclaim out success that tragically goes up in flames killing all aboard…and then suddenly just two some years later another Apollo mission that perfectly takes off and does exactly what it’s supposed to as verified by a fuzzy murky video. If that scenario isn’t ideal for a conspiracy theory, I don’t know what would be. So say someone did stage the entire thing and carried out an epic Apollo Deception. And got away with it too, for decades. And would continue getting away with it too, until China got the stage where they were able to realize their own space ambitions and decided to plant their flag right next to the US flag in the Sea of Tranquility. Only, of course, in this scenario, there’s no US flag in the Sea of Tranquility and to avoid a global embarrassment someone should really get there and plant it first, before the Chinese taikonauts arrive. Even if it’s a ragtag hastily put together team, someone really should. So that’s the premise of this wildly entertaining novel. The protagonist is a director of commercials and a son of the man who worked on the original moon landing video (in a studio, sponsored by Disney) who inadvertently stumbles into this cover up and ends up on a previously unimagined adventure of a lifetime. Along the way there’s tons of international intrigue and spies and global machinations. The book’s got a huge cast of characters and it’s quite literally all over the map. In fact, sometimes it gets too busy and too all over the place, but never so much as to distract you from the wildness of the main plot’s trajectory. I’m not really into spy fiction, so that aspect didn’t interest as much and the romance in the novel was way too rushed, albeit essential to the plot, but other than that this was pretty great. Good writing throughout, especially when it comes to technical descriptions...those came alive in the way that puts the reader into the driver's seat, much like the recent movie First Man (who according to this book wasn't, but that's another story). For anyone entertaining ideas of Moon hoaxing, this is just such a fun ride. Severn publishing can be uneven with their quality, but this is definitely one for the upper echelons of their catalog. Enjoyable fairly quick read. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.

[Rachel McPhail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cheese! But still fun. Read it on one day.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm glad I took a chance on this book. The premise is that the United States has to put together a Moon landing in short order when the Chinese announce that they are going to the Moon and will plant their flag next to ours. If you believe that the US Moon landing was a hoax, imagining how the powers that be react to the news makes for a very good read. Yes, there are a lot of characters and a couple of time periods but I didn't have any trouble keeping them straight. I usually don't like that format but this really flowed well. The writing style and the spy/thriller/romance story grabbed me and I enjoyed every minute of the ride.
My thanks to the publisher, Severn House for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.6 I guess those of use that still think the moon landing of 1969 was a hoax, this might be the book for you! There’s murder and intrigue but I just wasn’t into the plot. It was a short book abandoning easy to read. ....of coarse it’s USA vs China vs Russia and a bunch of unlikable characters.

[Ian Simpson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable thriller!

[Sattik Deb · Rating 2 out of 5]

While the book is an intriguing concept, it is poorly executed. It is a thriller with no thrill, as particularly evidenced by plot twists that are barely bendy, and a climax that reads with a level of drama and eloquence that is equaled by a flight attendant reading preflight safety guidelines. At best, the level of writing, character and plot development are on par with what you would expect from a self-published or internet-posted fanfic, rather than a serious attempt to craft a mystery/thriller. The pieces are certainly there--a plot with international intrigue based on government cover-ups and characters with potentially interesting backstories--but in the end, there is little emotion in the journey and little motivation to move forward in the story other than to just finish the book. George Newbern makes a passable performance in the audiobook, with good pace and timbre, and decent characterizations, though his delivery often falls flat as well, further augmenting the issues with the text.

[Karschtl · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5 Stars

It is a popular conspiracy theory: did the Americans fake the landing on the moon in 1969?

Mitch Silver takes this urban legend and turns it into a book that I would recommend for anyone interested in space aviation and the Apollo program in particular. As a thriller it didn't work so much for me. The initial chase of Gary is soon over when he gets taken into the astronaut training. And then too many different parties enter the scene, and I had a hard time to understand everyones motives. The various flashbacks to the 1960s would have been more interesting if they didn't only involve politicians.

But it was a nice and informative read nevertheless, and the last couple of pages were very exciting (although also quite unrealistic).

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Apollo Deception is a fun, light, read. The plot can get a little over-complicated at times, but it doesn’t get in the way of the story, and there’s plenty of twists to keep it interesting. This book certainly puts a new spin on all the “fake moon landing” conspiracies, but it’s an enjoyable read, especially if you’re looking for something a little different.
I received an ARC of this book from the publisher through @NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a strong work from an experience author who gives us a large cast, a sometimes complicated plot, and good research, blended to make an entertaining and engaging novel. Recommended.

I really appreciate the advanced copy for review!!