Nika’s review of Planet of the Apes

When you hear Planet of the Apes, the first thing that probably comes to mind is the movie trilogy with the evolved chimp Caesar as a protagonist. Forget about the movie. The book by Pierre Boule, first published in 1963, tells an entirely different story.

Three men from France embark on a journey. They set out to find a remote planet. They have a little chimp on board. This chimp is destined to be the first but not the last victim.
But let us not jump ahead.

The men plan to spend only a few years traveling and exploring space. But by the time they return home many decades will have elapsed on Earth. The travelers are aware of the fact that the voyage that lasts around two years for them equals about three and a half centuries on Earth due to the theory of relativity.

So, by making their decision the characters voluntarily accept that they will never see their friends and relatives. Such a choice must be a difficult one.
They end up landing on an unknown planet that strangely resembles Earth. The landscape and the atmosphere are strikingly similar to Earth. Our travelers decide to call the planet Soror.

The space travelers start exploring the place. Imagine their surprise when they find out who rules this planet. Evolved apes, namely gorillas, orangutans, and chimpanzees, have taken the role traditionally played by Sapiens. They can talk and think. They can cooperate in large numbers, while human beings on the planet Soror are deprived of those abilities. Humans lack intelligence and are relegated to conditions similar to those in which animals live in our world.

On the planet Soror reality appeared to be quite the reverse: we had to do with inhabitants resembling us in every way from the physical point of view but who appeared to be completely devoid of the power of reason.

The way the author portrays society organized by the apes is fascinating. It mirrors human society in many ways, but the order is reversed. Apes are smart and sophisticated. Men and women lead primitive lives, sleeping in nests in the forests and eating raw products. More than that, it turns out that one of the three humans from Earth has been quickly sliding into a primitive lifestyle.
Another man, Ulysse Merou, tries to establish contact with a young female chimpanzee Zira. He seems to be able to make a favorable impression on Zira. Ulysse, this strange creature, intrigues her. But can he rely on her help?

Apes, the rulers of this planet, have their own legends and mythical narratives rooted in history and their own insecurities connected with those legends. One of these stories is the question of origins. How did apes come to dominate this planet? What was the reason for that? When did they start ruling this planet? Did God create them? Or was it an accident? The theory of evolution? Thinking of those questions often makes apes feel uncomfortable.
Like humans in our world, the apes fear that their official history can be challenged. And an 'evolved' human being from Earth (Ulisse) risks becoming an obstacle for them.

As we already know, there are three races - gorillas, orangutans, and chimpanzees. It seems that they coexist peacefully. The ape society functions more or less smoothly. Freedoms and rights of citizens exist in their world which gives an overall impression of a normal place to be living in. Public opinion and media are influential but not always influential enough to impact decisions made by powerful individuals. There is a division of labor. The orangutans are official science. The chimpanzees are essentially intellectuals. "They seem animated by a powerful spirit of research," one of the characters speaks of the chimpanzees.
The gorillas are considered the most powerful class. There are many high administrators among them.
Apes hold science in high regard. To further scientific knowledge, they use humans in their laboratory experiments. Sounds familiar? Also, apes study the behavior of humans, including their amorous behavior.

One of the things one can take away from this science-fiction story concerns reciprocity. If the reader does not like the way humans are treated in this story by apes, maybe they should think of their own treatment of animals. According to estimates, ape populations are today under a lot of pressure. They face threats from poaching, deforestation, and pet trade.

A few insignificant inexactitudes caught my eye.
Gorillas are presented as meat eaters when in reality they feed mainly on a vegetarian diet.
Humans in the story are described as ignorant of laughter. It is implied that humans that inhabit this planet resemble apes in our world. But great apes are known to laugh during tickling or when playing with each other. I better stop here if I do not want to sound too nagging.

All in all, this was entertaining and at times unsettling. The author succeeded in marrying an engaging plot to social commentary.
My gripe about this story was its somewhat slow beginning. The ending was wild, though. One of the travelers gets the opportunity to return to Earth. What he sees upon his arrival leaves him flabbergasted.

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