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Planet of the Apes #1

Planet of the Apes

pierre boulle xan fielding

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Before you see the movie, read the original novel!

First published more than thirty-five years ago, Pierre Boulle’s chilling novel launched one of the greatest science fiction sagas in motion picture history, from the classic 1968 movie starring Charlton Heston and Roddy McDowell, through four sequels and two television series . . . and now the newest film adaptation directed by Tim Burton.

In the not-too-distant future, three astronauts land on what appears to be a planet just like Earth, with lush forests, a temperate climate, and breathable air. But while it appears to be a paradise, nothing is what it seems.

They soon discover the terrifying On this world humans are savage beasts, and apes rule as their civilized masters. In an ironic novel of nonstop action and breathless intrigue, one man struggles to unlock the secret of a terrifying civilization, all the while Will he become the savior of the human race, or the final witness to its damnation? In a shocking climax that rivals that of the original movie, Boulle delivers the answer in a masterpiece of adventure, satire, and suspense.


From the Paperback edition.

191 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1,1963
Series
Planet of the Apes

This edition

Format
191 pages, Hardcover
Published
June 6, 2000 by Gramercy Books
ISBN
9780517209486
ASIN
0517209489
Language
English
Characters More characters

More editions

About the author

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pierre boulle

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Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Pierre Boulle (20 February 1912 – 30 January 1994) was a French novelist best known for two works, The Bridge over the River Kwai (1952) and Planet of the Apes (1963) that were both made into award-winning films.

Boulle was an engineer serving as a secret agent with the Free French in Singapore, when he was captured and subjected to two years' forced labour. He used these experiences in The Bridge over the River Kwai, about the notorious Death Railway, which became an international bestseller. The film by David Lean won many Oscars, and Boulle was credited with writing the screenplay, because its two genuine authors had been blacklisted.

His science-fiction novel Planet of the Apes, where intelligent apes gain mastery over humans, was adapted into a series of five award-winning films that spawned magazine versions and popular themed toys.

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Community Reviews

Rating(4 / 5.0, 100 votes)
5 stars
38(38%)
4 stars
28(28%)
3 stars
34(34%)
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100 reviews All reviews
Profile Image for Kimberly .
Lord_Lucas
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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Сидів та думав що написати про цю книгу, так нічого путнього і не придумав. Бо думок багато, а зібрати їх до купи та написати гарний відгук, та ще і без спойлерів, не виходить. Тому що історія  настільки офігенна та крута, з таким глубоким підтекстом, та шокуючим фіналом, що хочеться просто щоб всі її прочитали, бо вона варта уваги. Та я впевнений що ця книга залишить слід у вашій свідомості, і ви ще не раз будете її згадувати, а можливо перечитувати.
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alvi-xdrt
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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Published in 1963, La Planète des singes is an ingenious take on the evolution of life and, ultimately, man’s self destructive arrogance and cruelty. Pierre Boulle turns Darwin’s theory on its ear by imagining a world where apes rule supreme. Endowing gorillas, chimpanzees and orangutans with human characteristics paints a truthful and decidedly unflattering self portrait of mankind.

*Those of us old enough to remember the 1968 American film adaptation will see many dissimilarities between Pierre Boulle’s novel and Rod Serling’s screenplay. Both work well for their specific medium, though I much prefer Boulle’s ending over Serling’s clichéd but iconic ‘Lady Liberty on the beach.’
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TheBigKaboom
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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Affascinato dal film (quello originale del 1968) dopo anni ho colto l'occasione per dedicarmi alla lettura del libro da cui ne è stato tratto. Una lettura semplice ma efficace, la trama risulta abbastanza diversa dal film ma allo stesso modo intrigante e ben strutturata, forse anche più interessante.
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Wolftom
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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Really enjoyed this one and glad I finally got around to reading it.
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Hachiman2424
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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Jestem ostatnią osobą, która mogłaby czerpać nawet najmniejszą przyjemność z konsumpcji takiego tytułu jak ten. Proszę wybaczyć, zasypiam na sam dźwięk słowa "KOSMOS". A jednak... Bawiłam się przednio! Co prawda im dalej w las (tfu, galaktykę), tym bardziej dawała o sobie znać moja słaba głowa, ale nie umniejsza to wcale satysfakcji, jaką dało mi poznanie tej historii.
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DrearySalieri
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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Świetna książka. Kilka koncepcji i rozwiązań brzmi już trochę śmiesznie ale czyta się to jednym tchem.
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SuperbDuk
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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O wow. Nie spodziewałam się, że aż tak mi się to spodoba
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OtakuMangaGamer
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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"Là, je fus envahi par un scrupule saugrenu. Moi, un homme, devais-je vraiment recourir à de telle ruses pour berner un singe? La seule conduite digne de ma condition n'était-elle pas de me lever, de marcher vers l'animal et de le corriger à coups de bâton?"

Ulysse Mérou is one of the most unlikable protagonists I have ever had the fortune (yes, fortune) of encountering. The reason why La planète des singes (in English Planet of the Apes, the novel that gave rise to the famous franchise) works so well and what makes it such an extraordinary literary artefact is precisely the hypocrisy and contemptuousness of this character, which forces the reader to confront fully the paradoxes and perhaps irresolvable contradictions of Ulysse's improbable situation.

This novel was originally written in 1963, which is not too long ago after all, but still, I'm somewhat hesitant to recognize the unambiguous intention, on Boulle's part, to make Ulysse Mérou as unpleasant as he comes off today: his complacency and unchallenged sense of superiority are traits which modern-day fictional heroes don't share anymore--not intentionally, anyway. I loved this incompatibility, this feeling that the book had somehow escaped the plan that its author had (probably) intended for it and turned itself into something different and new, something that, miraculously, has been able to make of an apparent flaw its greatest strength. For me, La planéte des singes is the textbook definition of aging like a fine wine.
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