PLANET OF THE APES

by Pierre Boulle



"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." (From the back cover of the Del Rey edition.)

Back in May when I read Pierre Boulle's Bridge Over The River Kwai, I learned he had also written Planet of the Apes. That struck me as so odd that I decided right then and there I needed to read Planet of the Apes. Here we are nearing Thanksgiving, and I've finally gotten around to it.

Don't let any cheesy old movies prejudice you. The book is surprisingly good! The writing itself does not come off as serious literature, but the themes sure do. Boulle considered Planet of the Apes to be a "social fantasy". It also could be a commentary on everything from animal rights, war, and racism to science and education. Seeing the apes engaging in so many everyday human activities and hearing their reasons for what they do brings to light irony and absurdity in our own behavior and prejudices in our logic. Believe it or not, this would be an excellent book club selection.

And for those who are wondering, the end is different from the movie. :-)

THE BRIDGE OVER THE RIVER KWAI

by Pierre Boulle



"1942: Boldly advancing through Asia, the Japanese need a train route from Burma going north. In a prison camp, British POWs are forced into labor. The bridge they build will become a symbol of service and survival to one prisoner, Colonel Nicholson, a proud perfectionist. Pitted against the warden, Colonel Saito, Nicholson will nevertheless, out of a distorted sense of duty, aid his enemy. While on the outside, as the Allies race to destroy the bridge, Nicholson must decide which will be the first casualty: his patriotism or his pride." (From Amazon.com)

I chose to read The Bridge Over the River Kwai for the War Through the Generations Challenge because it showed the war from a perspective that had nothing to do with the Germans or the Holocaust. I wanted something totally different. I had never seen the movie either, so I had no idea what to expect.

What a got was tale of heroism, stoicism, tragedy and the folly of war that surprised me with how much I enjoyed it. The characters were well-rounded enough to become real people for a few warm spring hours and their plight was just complicated enough to keep me suitably uneasy. I was sad to see it end the way it did, which is quite different from the movie from what I understand, but I found certain portions of the plot just unrealistic enough that the harsher ending gave the entire book more credibility. I don't mean to diminish what this story has to say about war. It is simply that while it was a very good book and well worth reading, it just wasn't as powerful as some of the other WWII novels I've read lately.

Just an aside -- Did you know Pierre Boulle also wrote Planet of the Apes? Me neither. Now I have to read that, too! :-)