Planet of the Apes

I read this book back in the mid-60's, before it was made into a movie. Boulle was a well-known French writer, but this is the only thing I've ever read by him in translation. It might have been written in the late 50's even, but I can't find a publication date to find out for sure.Anyway, although Boulle isn't really a sci-fi author, the original book was excellent, and although I did enjoy the movies that came out of it, the original book was still better. The movie altered much of the original story, for example, the main character is a French journalist, and Dr. Zaius isn't the head honcho in the book. And as another reviewer here mentioned, in the book, the gorillas are much more organized and powerful, and tend to be the ones that just go out and get things done, while the more cerebral chimps and orangs are just sitting around debating and contemplating their navels.Another nice touch that didn't make it into the movie was the solar energy powered spaceship that used adjustable blinds to control it, which another reviewer mentioned too. However, he didn't mention that the really interesting thing is that the scientist Cavour used something similar in HG Wells' "The Men in the Moon," where adjustable shutters or flaps much like blinds are used to control the anti-gravity or bouyancy effect of the sun's rays on the anti-gravity paint. I assume Boulle got his very similar idea from Wells.But back to the original story. Boulle uses the society of apes to poke fun at various aspects of human society. Since the different ape groups, the orangs, chimps, and gorillas symbolize different things--the intellect, the emotions, and the physical body--the outward conflicts and power struggles between the different apes becomes a metaphor for our own internal struggles--between the mind and the emotions, and the mind and the body.Boulle's book remains a classic and still rewards reading today. If you enjoyed the movies, you'll probably like the original novel even more. Boulle was a talented French novelist and the original book still deserves to be better known, as most people are unaware a foreign writer came up with the original idea.

Given the impending release of the movie "THE PLANET OF THE APES" I rented the original movie, which I thought was great. But I just had to read the original book too. (I'm a reader, what can I say?)I was greatly and pleasantly surprised, quite honestly, about the quality of the book. It was originally written in French trnaslated by Xan Fielding. The prose read extremely well for a translation and the acerbic wit, humor and biting satire comes through loud and clear in the book. The novel is absolutely wonderful satire. Especially poignant were the scenes where the intelligent human has to witness his fellow human beings subjected to sometimes deadly but always degrading biological and mental experiments. Here, MAN is the object of big game hunts where apes go out and shoot down their human prey for sport. The novel also takes shots at academia and the scientific "establishment", the stock market, and most clearly of all "species-centrism" (or ethnocentrism if you will). There are a few differences between the book and the original movie. Here, the "Planet of the Apes" is on the other side of the galaxy and is reached through intergalactic flight. Apes are much more technologically advanced than they are in the movie and even have space flight (even if it is described in a somewhat cheesy manner). The apes take over more through the technologcial (and read between the lines, moral) stagnation of mankind than a nuclear holocaust (as in the movie). But for the most part, the movie did an excellent job of telling a similar, yet different story, using the book as it's basis.In short, I highly recommend the book and the /original/ movie if you haven't seen it. The novel is rewarding in its own right. Hopefully the new movie will be too.

Fans of the APES movies and TV series should check out the source, the wonderful starter book by Boule; but don't be surprised that it was another Frenchman (following the literary tradition of prolific Jules Verne) who created this masterpiece of sci fi invention. Three Frenchmen land on a distant planet which proves remarkably earthlike--in fact, the hero names it Soror (meaning Sister). But there will be no return to Earth for the learned professor, his assistant and the narrator--a journalist with no ties. Ulysse Meroux is justifiably shocked to discover a paradox of terrestrial social evolution, after their launch is attacked and trashed by the natives--handsome humans with primitive mental and emotional functions. For on this planet mankind is speechless and helplessly subservient to a race of super apes. Men have been reduced to animal status, while a simian civilization (divided into gorillas, orangutans and chimpazees) are masters of the planet and technology. How could such a distortion of normal roles have occurred? How far must Ulysse debase himself to collaborate with his simian captors? For what prize will he sink to play laboratory creature in a Animal Behavior display? How can he convince the fair-minded chimpanzees, sweet Dr. Zira and her fiance, Cornelius, that here is the first sentient, intelligent man, obviously from another planet? Could apes possibly have evolved from an inferior human race centuries ago? Did God create Man or Ape in His own image? A fascinating hypothesis which torments scientists on both sides of the controversy. There are those who would suppress the truth if it involves heresy, but we wonder: can Mimicry be carried too far? I don't want to spoil the ending, which the movie version presents even more powerfully than the original. This is Sci Fi at its Simian best!

Having been a fan of the movie for years, I was excited to find out that it was actually based on a book. However, the book, while being similar to the movie in theme and idea, was completely different from what I had expected. Starting with two space travelers finding a ship which has been abandoned for some time, floating in space, the book catapults you into the story of Heston, a space travelling journalist who finds his way to and escapes from a planet entirely ruled by apes. The ending of the book is classical science fiction and will be an awesome surprise to anyone who has seen the movie. Although almost entirely different from the movie, I enjoyed the book immensely. While I've found myslef distracted watching the movie at times due to the underlining political themes, the book was duly unadulterated science fiction and I was able to detach wholly into the world of imagination and be enthralled in this incredible story. I would give this book to anyone.

This is a thrilling piece of literature that will remain in the memories of science fiction nerds and cool-cats alike-as well as everyone in between. Boulle utilizes his God-given wit and puts his boggling use of irony to work in depicting a society were apes, instead of men, think, talk, work, and wear clothes, and humans run naked in the jungles, incapable of reason or speech! It is a story set in the future about a journalist who travels to this strange planet, captured and caged in at a scientific laboratory, determined to survive and let the apes learn of his true identity. Frightening in its realistic possibillities, the author of the acclaimed "Bridge over the River Kwai" has wrought a masterpiece that will rivet itself into the minds of its readers long after they have been shocked by its last sentence.