Planet of the Apes
If you've seen the progressively cheesierPlanet of the Apesmovies of 1968-1973, you may be shocked to learn the first movie was adapted from an intelligent, ironic, and literate novel. You'll be less surprised when you learn the original novelPlanet of the Apeswas written by Pierre Boulle, author ofThe Bridge over the River Kwai.In the novelPlanet of the Apes, the three Frenchmen making the first interstellar journey discover a remarkably Earth-like world orbiting Betelgeuse--Earth-like, with one crucial difference: The humans are dumb beasts, and the apes are intelligent. Captured during a terrifying manhunt, locked in a cage, and ignorant of the simian language, Ulysse Merou struggles to convince the apes that he possesses intelligence and reason. But if he proves he is not an animal, he may seal his own doom.Like the first movie, the novelPlanet of the Apeshas a twist ending, but a twist of a different--yet equally shocking--sort.--Cynthia Ward