It's a Mad House

Ever since I was a kid, I've loved Planet of the Apes. I've watched the movies numerous times, watched the TV series, the Saturday morning cartoon, and even loved the reboots, but I had never read the book the popular franchise was based on. Until now.

I wasn't sure what to expect, since the movie adaptations are NEVER faithful to the books, and was surprised to find that the differences take the book to the opposite end of the spectrum. The premises are the same, but the book is less brutal in some respects.

The premise is the same: astronauts land on a planet governed by apes and man is the beast. Where they diverge is in the beginning, which has two astronauts finding what amounts to a message in a bottle. Upon opening it, we get the account of Ulyssse Merou, a journalist who voyages into space with two others and a chimpanzee. Upon reaching their destination, they take a launch to the planet's surface (they don't crash), which is where they first encounter the feral breed of humans. The hunt is the same, but where they diverge is once Ulysse (Taylor in the movie) is captured. While the relationship with Zira and Cornelius is similar to that of the film, Ulysse eventually earns the apes' trust and wins his freedom and is able to walk freely among the apes. As a result, as you read, you'll recognize scenes from the movie, but they come with a twist or are slightly modified. And there's an even bigger surprise at the end (and no, he's not on a future version of Earth), which is how they originally wanted the movie to end, but they decided not to go in that direction. That particular twist is used in a later film. It would have been interesting to see what direction the films would have gone it had they gone with the original ending.

All in all, the book was a pleasant departure from the film I remember but had enough similarities as to stir up memories of my childhood. Even if you're familiar with the films, the book is definitely worth reading. For me, 5/5 stars.