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Planet of the Apes
- Narrated by: Greg Wise
- Length: 5 hrs and 55 mins
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Summary
Greg Wise reads Pierre Boulle's chilling, iconic novel about a nightmare world where apes rule over men. In a spaceship that can travel at the speed of light, Ulysse, a journalist, sets off from Earth for the nearest solar system. He finds there a planet which resembles his own, except that on Soror humans behave like animals and are hunted by a civilised race of primates. Captured and sent to a research facility, Ulysse must convince the apes of their mutual origins. But such revelations have always been greeted by prejudice and fear...
The inspiration for several acclaimed cult films, Planet of the Apes is both a gripping, disturbing fable and a classic of science fiction.
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What listeners say about Planet of the Apes
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- Dr Caterpillar
- 17-04-16
Forget the statue of liberty
Would you listen to Planet of the Apes again? Why?
Probably not. I originally read it just so I know the "true" beginning of the film and TV etc phenomenon that is still active after nearly half a century. I ended up enjoying it in its own right, but its revelations are unlikely to surprise a second time.
What was one of the most memorable moments of Planet of the Apes?
It amused me that, according to the book, French will be the lingua franca in the far future. The landing on the alien planet was intriguing - and by the way, is emphatically not Earth. Honestly, what are the chances of a spaceship doing a 180 at the crucial moment and nobody realising? Imagine Neil Armstrong saying, "Tranquility base here, the Eagle has... hang on, that looks like Florida!"
There are some uncomfortable moments with the woman Nova - she really isn't treated well at times, but given how brutal the apes can be towards humans, I suppose she got off relatively lightly.
The main character's relationship with the chimpanzee Zira is... quite interesting. As I recall it was implied in the film, but here it's a little more explicit.
And there is a twist that is so much better than finding the Statue of Liberty, but to be fair it's not filmable.
Have you listened to any of Greg Wise’s other performances? How does this one compare?
No. The ones he's done so far are books I've read already or which don't interest me.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
No, it's not a short story.
Any additional comments?
Satirical elements often throw me out of a story. This one didn't.
It would be nice if Boulle's other well know novel - Bridge over the River Kwai - could be made available on audio.
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6 people found this helpful
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- Mr. M. Elsy
- 17-12-20
Great story great narration but badly chaptered.
I'm marking this down to 3 stars for the bad chaptering by Audible but 5 stars for performance and story.
Great story read brilliantly by the narrator Greg Wise about some astronauts who crash land on a planet run by apes, but I wish Audible would sort out how they do chapters. According to Audible it is chapter 38 but the narrator says chapter 12 so Audible makes it hard to navigate the chapters. Come on if you're narrating the book and it says chapter 1 or 12 that's what the chapters should be in the audio book.
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4 people found this helpful
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- Nick Cook
- 20-03-19
Still a great read if you think you know the story
You will no doubt reference against the original film, this book is the origin to that and can standalone.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Liz... Bristol
- 10-02-16
Different to, but just as good as the films.
I've always enjoyed the original series of films, and certainly the most recent two 'reboots', but until now hadn't read/listened to the original story. This was largely as I'd never come across it. Needless to say it is both more low-key and more interesting in it's development. It varies from the films' storylines in crucial ways, including the iconic scene from the very first film. Nonetheless it has a strong twist which it carries well. I don't know of Pierre Boulle's thoughts behind the story: did he intend an interesting sci-fi Twilight Zone type story, or perhaps a variation on racial awareness, war, or perhaps nothing else at all. Nevertheless, it's well worth hearing and Greg Wise does a decent job of narrating the tale. I'm surprised that I haven't come across more of his work with audiobooks.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Graham G.
- 15-05-19
A true classic!
The obvious lessons taught by this story are even more relevant today than when first published.
Very well narrated.
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2 people found this helpful
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- leemsey
- 27-02-15
Of course the original but not the best
I know we always bang on about books being better than movies but not in this case. Yes it was written years ago but that's no excuse. Give me Charlton Heston every time!
The narrator chooses to use bizarre American accents too. This is bad enough in music but best avoided in audiobooks.
Historical interest only to shut people up claiming that the book is always the best.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Johnny Heys
- 25-02-15
wonderful.
didn't turn it off for the first five chapters, loved reading it as a kid. Love this audio version. narrative is very good compared to some.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Miss
- 18-02-24
Though provoking. Planet of the apes is one of the first films I remember as a child
I need to rewatch the films now. Thought provoking tale. Very well written. I can’t believe I’ve not read it before.
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- rads
- 10-01-24
Excellent all round.
Too short. Loved every minute. Narrated well too. Great for the film loving fans too.
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- Richard Morningstar
- 04-01-24
Great reading, of a story we all should know
Well read book, that stands it test in time. Great job of a story we all should know .
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