Planet of the Apes: A Novel

Writing this review around five decades after Planet of the Apes was first published, I find myself wondering why it took me so long to read it. I do remember seeing the movie starring Charlton Heston many years ago and was surprised to discover that the book was not what I had imagined it would be. I thought it was just another Sci-Fi story about human astronauts encountering intelligent simians on a far distant planet. Well, it is in a way, but it is also more. First off, it doesn't have a rugged American pilot of a spacecraft named George Taylor using his wits and brute strength to overcome the hardships he endures being a captive of apes. The narrator of the original story is an unassuming French journalist named Ulysse Mérou. Hardly the image of Heston that I had in mind. But that actually makes the protagonist seem more like the rest of us ordinary folks.The story begins when a bottle is snared in a net by Phyllis tethered to the spacecraft her beau Jinn is leisurely flying on a warm three suns filled day above their home planet. Jinn reads aloud the message, journal actually, he and Phyllis find inside the bottle. It is a tale of a startling adventure Ulysse and his two space companions, Professor Antelle and physician Arthur Levain, have on far distant planet in the year 2500. The tale is somewhat similar to the plot of the screenplay but much more involved...and, in my opinion, more interesting. Suffice it to say, the humans suffer terribly after being captured by apes who are out hunting humans for sport and scientific study. After the French space travelers are captured, we learn that there are three separate "races" of apes on the planet: gorillas, orangutans, and chimpanzees. Each "race" is different from the other according to societal role and intelligence. I won't go into what divides each here. You'll bemore interested in how the ape society is divided when seen viewed through the human eye of Ulysse. As you probably already know, humans are looked down on by the apes as being ignorant, naked animals who don't know how to speak and who survive only by foraging for food in the jungle. Humans, the apes believe, are just simple animals incapable of learning except through imitation. Hmmm. Sound familiar?I won't reveal what happens to Ulysse and the humans he meets while in captivity. No spoilers here. The Planet of the Apes is a very entertaining,fast paced adventure story that even those of us who are not Sci-Fi fans will enjoy. 5 Stars

The book by Peter Boulle is quite different in many respects to the resultant films and TV series - The Planet of the Apes!If you've seen the film (and who hasn't?) then you know the story of Charlton Heston's crew, crashing on a planet run by apes and through various adventures finds at the end [Spoiler for the two or three who have not seen the film yet] that the planet he has crashed on is actually the planet Earth and the apes arose after a mighty atomic war!Book's Themes:The book is different. The author himself has called it a social fantasy and I see why.A couple in a star craft of some kind find a note in a bottle. Inside the bottle is a manuscript which takes the story of Ulysse, Earth explorer and his adventures on a planet named Sorror in the Betelgeuse system. The book is made up of this manuscript.Ulysse, one of three astronauts, arrived at Sorror and find the humans there stupid like animals. After some adventure, he is captured by the civilized apes of this planet. In many ways, the author is criticizing the slow growth of civilization, Dark Ages, and how the ones who believe old theory (such as the planet is the center of the universe) will not progress far.The chimps are the intellectuals; the orangutans are the keepers of theory and law, as backward as it is, and the gorillas are the tough guys, the security & police force. All three of these resent each other, in similar fashion to the intellectuals and the conservatives here in Earth.The ending is not bad; it reminds me of the ending of Tim Burton's version of the Planet of the Apes. Unlike Burton's movie though, the ending makes a lot more sense, if a shocking one!Recommended reading for those who want to read the original story behind all those great movies! Easy to read, done in a day or two. Boulle also wrote "Bridge on the River Kwai," another book to film that was excellently portrayed. Can't wait to read that!

“Planet of the Apes” is a relatively short, clever, science fiction novel authored by French author, Pierre Boulle, published in 1963. It has similarities, but also distinct differences from the movie of the same name starring Charlton Heston. I really enjoyed the novel itself and I particularly enjoyed the audiobook narrated by Greg Wise.This novel is not lengthy. It is also divided into 38 chapters. Each chapter is short enough that one can be read in several minutes during, as an example, a coffee break at work.I purchased both the kindle and the audiobook at the same time. My kindle version is identical to a vintage paperback which I also possess. The novel is translated from French. The audiobook was slightly different. I preferred some turns of phrases as read by Greg Wise. I am not one to lightly suggest spending extra money. However I was really glad that I purchased both the kindle and audiobook.In summary I really enjoyed this reading and listening experience. I respectfully disagree with those who suggest simply watching the movie. I am a fan of Charlton Heston and have studied his life and work. I liked the movie as a work of art, but I enjoyed the novel more and it is different than the movie. Incidentally the same author also wrote the novel “Bridge Over The River Kwai” which I look forward to reading in the near future.Thank You for taking the time to read this review.

Fast arrival and a great read for a huge planet of the apes fan

😎👍

C’est une bande dessinée et non le livre. La déception est indescriptible.

A escrita desse autor é tão leve e cativante, e tão envolvente que chega a ser impossível parar de ler esse livro. Gostei muito e me questionei em vários aspectos.

I have the 1968 film on DVD but had never read the book until now, and it is excellent. Better than the film in some ways of course however the basic story is the same. Highly recommend it.