The original Planet of the Apes novel is a seriously clunky story. It is bookended by a kooky couple in space who find a message in a bottle psst ... they turn out to be Chimps, Ulysse Mérou stands in as a more pedantic Taylor who gets to knock up Nova before they with their child, and the Ape society is more developed, which makes it less effective in creating that Planet of the Apes vibe.

If it weren't for the movie with its killer Rod Serling script and the awesomeness of Charlton Heston (when he was the coolest Sci-Fi actor around), and all the sequels and TV shows and reboots that have followed, the original Planet of the Apes novel wouldn't deserve much in terms of goodreads stars. But all those movies did follow Pierre Boulle's book, and my unquenchable nostalgia for all things Ape will always elevate this in my estimation. That's just the kind of geek I am.

My Planet of the Apes loving credentials:

• own the box set of the original film series.
• own Reality Bites just because of Ben Stiller's Planet of the Apes figures.
• owned Planet of the Apes toys as a kid.
• actively hunt down movie-tie-ins and any other Planet of the Apes books I can find.
• have crappy old VHS tapes with about half of the TV episodes on them.
• quote Charlton Heston and Roddy McDowell on a regular basis, seamlessly.
• played Planet of the Apes with my friend Dwayne instead of playing at Soldiers, and now I get to do it with my son and daughter.
• I teach the film version of Planet of the Apes regularly, and I've even mixed it up a bit with Conquest of the Planet of the Apes.
• tried to convince Erika to name Milos, Taylor Cornelius
• AND I named my dog Zira.

I'm probably forgetting some stuff, but that's a good list to start. I may add to my geek credentials as I remember them.

And check out the geek credentials on Terence if you get a chance. Just look at his icon for the love of Caesar!

L'idea che è alla base di questo libro è geniale. Mette in luce il rapporto fra la natura e l'uomo ribaltando però le prospettive. In particolare c'è un confronto fra l'essere umano e ciò che di più simile a esso conosciamo cioè la scimmia. Ma come si fa a fare proprio il punto di vista di un animale se non incarnando letteralmente quell'animale?
Con una scrittura semplice, scorrevole Boulle ci fa esplorare questo mondo popolato da esseri intelligenti, razionali e al contempo capaci di una cieca crudeltà e di un assurda ostinazione. Boulle ci mostra le scimmie con lo sguardo dei loro animali, gli uomini, ma ci si rende conto che chi stiamo davvero osservando è il riflesso di noi stessi. Ed è semplicemente allucinante il comportamento delle scimmie di Soror, ovvero il nostro sulla Terra. Sarebbe davvero ovvio se solo riuscissimo a fare un passo indietro e guardare a noi stessi con un minimo di distanza. Nella società delle scimmie c'è un'establishment che punta a proteggere se stesso e lo status quo (gli orangutan simili al potere religioso), una scienza che guarda lontano ma non riesce a vedere l'immediata conseguenza delle proprie azioni (gli scimpanzé, la scienza in perenne contrasto con la religione), infine la classe degli opportunisti il cui unico ideale è il proprio interesse economico (i gorilla, capitalisti, dirigenti, disprezzati ma considerati utili, necessari). Boulle non fa sconti a nessuno, disegnando quello che è il simbolo di un'umanità individualista, egoista, egocentrica dove anche gli slanci di generosità hanno in fondo la tutela dell'interesse personale. Decisamente terrificanti le scene della vivisezione animale operate su esseri umani con la stessa nonchalance con cui operiamo ancora oggi noi le scimmie e altri animali.

I hate hate HATE epistolary novels. I hate sexist books. I hate books that don't follow their own internal logic/ rules. I hate this book.

Premetto che vidi solo il primo film del 1968 (molto bello). Ho sempre evitato di vedere gli altri finché non avessi letto il libro.
Ho iniziato la lettura con i dubbi tipici di quando si affronta un libro di cui si è già visto il film, dato che (inevitabilmente) la trama già la si conosce. In effetti così è stato, ma il libro è diverso sotto vari aspetti e in qualche modo è complementare al film. L'autore utilizza il capovolgimento del ruolo uomo-scimmia in modo intelligente, con obiettivi a volte satirici e parodistici, più spesso manifestamente critici verso la nostra società. La terza parte del libro è davvero notevole e il finale... sorprendente (non dico altro).
Suggerimento: non state a sottilizzare su certe ingenuità tecnologiche, questo è un libro di fantascienza sociologica e poco importa il rigore scientifico. L'obiettivo di Boulle era quello di far riflettere su certi aspetti della nostra società, obiettivo pienamente raggiunto.
In conclusione, un classico della fantascienza da leggere. Il mio voto: 4 stelle.

Pewien statek kosmiczny podróżował przez dwa lata i ląduje na nieznanej planecie, która warunkami przypomina naszą Ziemię. Naukowcy odkrywają przy okazji coś zaskakującego - na tej planecie również żyją ludzie, ale to nie oni "rządzą" tylko są zniewoleni przez inteligentne małpy.

Nie oglądałam żadnej ekranizacji "Planety małp" pomimo posiadania w domu ogromnego kinomana, który obejrzał chyba dosłownie wszystko. Jedyne co wiedziałam przystępując do lektury to, że będą rozumne małpy. Tyle albo aż tyle. Ogólnie to nie myślałam, że spodoba mi się ta pozycja, ponieważ raczej nie czytam sci-fi i też nie jestem fanką tego gatunku. Natomiast do samego końca czytało mi się tę książkę bardzo płynnie, orientowałam się we wszystkim, nie czułam momentów znużenia, a zakończenie - no klasa sama w sobie. Także zostawiam 4 gwiazdki i może to będzie mały kroczek, żeby jednak zaprzyjaźnić się z sci-fi.

4.0 Stars
I was a huge fan of the old movies so I was very excited to check out the original material. I am happy to report that I was not disappointed.  I expected the novel to be campy but it was much more serious in tone. The story was told through the inner monologue of the male Earther so it was a quieter reflective narrative. There are some plot points that are rather cringey, but overall I was surprised how well this story held up to reading for the first time in the modern day. The book presents some interesting questions surrounding ethics even if the premise of the story is a bit outlandish. The ending was fantastic. Even better than the movie in my opinion.

No uwielbiam tę książkę.

Kitabın bir çok filmi çekilmiş olduğu için konusunu neredeyse bilmeyen yoktur. 2001 yılı yapımı olan Maymunlar Gezegenini izlemiştim ve şaşırtıcı bir sonla karşılaşacağımı biliyordum. Ancak kitap bir darbeyle yetinmemiş ve ikinci darbeyi vurmuş. Kitabın sonu adamın beynini yakıyor, hemde iki kere... Okuduktan sonra keşke filmini izlemeseydim beynim daha güzel yansaydı demedim değil. :) Sonuç olarak ters-psikoloji ile yazılmış, insana bazı şeyleri sorgulatan tam bir baş yapıt okudum. Şiddetle tavsiye ederim.

Absolutnie wspaniała.

Re-Read 6/3/23:

My Buddy reader surprised me by finding and wanting to read this (for free, now) on Audible, and I thought it sounded great. So here I am, enjoying this very excellent skewering of all racism.

Of course, it's veiled behind SPECIES, but it really puts a pin in the kinds of assumptions that keep such bullshit going.

Suffice to say, it's a smarter, more intellectual, and heartfelt novel than most of the movies it has since spawned.


Original Review:

This is a book that deserves to stand the test of time. I think it's as valid now as it was back in the fifties.

Let's ignore the movies for just a moment. They're important in their own right for capturing a cultural zeitgeist and for showing us all how damning cultural bias can be. One can make the argument that the Planet of the Apes movies underscored the 60's, put it all in sharp relief.

But I'm going to talk about the book -- about why the book needs to be read now.

Cultural bias is everywhere. All around us. It's in the very air we breathe. In general, we don't see it.

Our assumptions make us prisoners.

The apes are the epitome of Western Thought. Casually racist in everything they do, they rationalize everyone OTHER than themselves into a kind of slavery. Whether it's about cultural superiority, scientific superiority, military superiority, or ANY reason to make themselves appear more important than the OTHER, they take it.

Because what would happen otherwise?

Rhetoric would fall apart, giving way to a careful observation of the real circumstances.

People are being kept in cages. They're experimented upon. They are left in atrocious conditions and made to fight for scraps to survive. The purpose is to turn them into animals FIRST in order to prove the original assumption that they are animals.

If this isn't classic racism, I don't know what is. Every argument they make must revolve around the basic assumption that THEY are better than US. If the argument doesn't fit, it is thrown out.

Only OVERWHELMING evidence to the contrary can lift a single human out of this bondage, and but the great emancipation only works for this single human.

The pervasive racism persists.

Classic cultural bias.

We are fully immersed in it. We feel the hopelessness underlying their bulwarks of rationalizations. We are made small, helpless, even as we retain our dignity in all the tiniest of ways. And ultimately, we lose.



It takes a whole society to change a whole society.

Idealna do czytania na kocu na plaży, by nawet wtedy nie opuścił nas lęk egzystencjalny.

الرواية تم تجسيدها في فيلم بعنوان planet of the apes
الرواية تطرح فرضية ماذا لو استُبدل الإنسان على الكوكب بكائنات أخرى عاقلة .. تسيطر عليه وتُخضعه لمشيئتها .. إذ أن تبادل الأدوار قد يتيح لنا رؤية الحياة بمنظور مختلف

الصحفي "أوليس ميرو" رافق الشاب "آرثر لوفان" و العالم البروفيسور "أنتل" في رحلة فضائية تستغرق عامين .. سنة ذهابًا وأخرى إيابًا لرؤية النجم "منكب الجوزاء" .. فحطت سفينتهم فوقه ليجدوا كوكب أسموه "سورور"
كان ينتظرهم على الكوكب مفاجأة مدوية .. فالكوكب مأهول بالبشر والقرود .. لكن القرود هي الكائنات التي لديها ملكة التفكير .. والبشر كائنات تتحرك بالغريزة .. لا تتكلم .. لا تفكر .. لا تملك أي مظهر من مظاهر التحضر
وبعد معركة صيد شرسة تتمكن القرود من أسر الصحفي ووضعه في قفص مع مجموعة أخرى من البشر .. لتجري عليهم القرود الكثير من التجارب .. تمامًا كما يحدث في عالمنا الحقيقي

يحاول الصحفي باستماتة شرح حقيقته للقردة "زيرا" المسؤولة عن مراقبته وتسجيل ملاحظاتها عنه .. حتى يتمكن من الخروج من القفص ويجد ما يستحقه من معاملة لائقة .. لكنه يصطدم كثيرًا بعقليات متجمدة تحتل مناصب علمية رفيعة في هذا المجتمع الغريب ..

رواية ممتعة تستحق القراءة