Conspiracy of the Planet of the Apes Hardcover – August 4, 2011

When this was pointed out to me it was billed as a book about the character of Landon and a chronicle of his adventures leading to a tie-up of some plot-holes in the Apes franchise. What it is, instead, is a build-up of a lot of characters leading to a background story that would have been more fascinating than any of last 3 Apes sequels and either television series. From Dr. Galen (the ape who was helping Zira save Taylor) to Milo (the ape barely introduced in  Escape From The Planet Of The Apes  ), and of course the ridiculously deep character of Dr. Zaius these characters are all given more to look at. We get more of General Ursus as well as a few other gorillas who never had much representation in the films. We get love, betrayal, political manipulation, and even some economical glances that are all put into context of the ape society that we only got a tiny glimpse of onscreen.The main characters can definitely be whittled down to a select few. Don't get me wrong, its a lot for a book this length and will bother some, but its great. If you're looking for a specified character study or a real human protagonist you will be very disappointed, if you are looking for expansion this will work out just fine.Landon is indeed the main character to a degree. He is introduced as more prominent than Taylor development-wise, and through him we see more of Earth's foray into interplanetary exploration (Mars, Jupiter, hibernation sickness, etc...). He is presented as the first link to the civilization in the ruins of New York City as well, and helps with their story in the second film. He also links to Milo and the Icarus, which helps explain how the franchise lead beyond 2 films.Marcus, gorilla leader of the secret police in Ape City, is one of our other protagonists. He is the first real gorilla character to receive development beyond just a soldier. We see a family dinner, we see interaction with other soldiers and even the desire for raising up a replacement so he can retire. For a gorilla character we see someone willing to self-sacrifice and to take control but also to play the game when faced with the orangutan political leaders or his superior, Ursus. His father issues come into play and make for a fascinating character, possibly my favorite of the novel.Galen is one of the other big characters in this book. Many of you will be able to remember the chimpanzee that complained about work space and funding while stitching up Taylor in the first film. Here we see a mad scientist who wants to be able to transplant human organs to simians, therefore removing the need for same species organ donors and giving humans a purpose in ape society. He is seen butchering them into pieces and even gets a grisly scene where he removes a head but leaves enough of the arteries and such attached that it can remain alive for a few minutes, all in the name of science. His wife, Liet, and her half-gorilla lover (whose name escapes me at the moment) lead to not only a love triangle, but a strong and exciting conclusion to 3 storylines all at once.Milo is the final character to receive a lot of attention. The only one who believes that Taylor and Landon came from the stars, his slight friendship (sort of ) with Landon and his work on different things around the city create a good backstory for him that the 3rd film just didn't go into. It ties up a massive plot hole within the franchise as well, but I won't spoil it for you.This was a great study and I'm hoping for a second book that ties together some issues with the last half of the franchise. Cheers to a well done novel with simply stunning artwork by several comic book artists.

CONSPIRACY OF THE PLANET OF THE APES is exactly what fans of the original PLANET OF THE APES films have wanted all along: a return to the original storyline and vision. As other reviewers have noted, author Andrew Gaska takes us on a wonderful journey, answering many long-standing questions about how astronaut Landon came to be lobotomized and how scientist ape Dr. Milo managed to locate and salvage the lost Liberty 1 spacecraft. Gaska doesn't stop there for even as he answers questions he also opens the door to many new possibilities. For example, in one exciting scene he recounts how Liberty 1 goes into the crash mode so vividly depicted in the original film when it sees itself on a collision course with a ship that looks exactly the same. Could this duplicate ship be the Liberty 1 carrying Milo, Zira and Cornelius into the past? We may have to wait until the second book in the series to find out. In addition to new potential plot twists, POTA fans will recognize tips of the hat to other APES lore, such as the reference to The Inheritors which were introduced in the comics tale TERROR ON THE PLANET OF THE APES from the Curtis series of POTA magazines in the 70s. Great stuff all around.On the technical side, though, the book is not perfect. Be prepared to find many editorial mistakes, such as words misspelled and at least one piece of dialogue being attributed to the wrong character. I also found the APES heiroglyphics imprinted on every page distracting, making it sometimes difficult to read the text. These blemishes can be forgiven, however, if one so chooses (which I do) given the rich construct of the story and the absolutely amazing companion pieces of artwork.It's a fast read, if only because once you start you're hooked and you can't wait to find out what happens next! So, go ahead, journey back to that world first seen in 1968 where Man once stood supreme, but now rule the Apes! And don't listen to Dr. Zaius who would warn you: "You might not like what you find..." You will.

The first three "Planet of the Apes" films have a tenuous link based on shared characters, but their overall approach and tones are completely different. This makes sense, as Pierre Boulle's original novel was a standalone book and, while the 1968 film changed several details, it retained that sense of closure with the final twist giving away the author's message. In "Conspiracy of the Planet of the Apes", Andrew E.C. Gaska links the three films with a story set during the original movie. He focuses on John Landon, who had disappeared for some time following the crash in the film and thereby offers an opportunity to explore more of the Ape's world. With flashbacks to Landon's early career, Gaska links the astronaut to the physicist Dr. Otto Hasslein, who appeared in the third film, "Escape from the Planet of the Apes". Finally, Landon serves as an unwitting mole in Ape City, controlled via long distance telepathy by the mutants from "Beneath the Planet of the Apes". Gaska's writing is more than up to the task of the legacy he has inherited and the accompanying art from the likes of Jim Steranko, Joe Jusko, Andrew Probert, Dave Dorman, Chandra Free, Lucas Graciano, and more adds to the overall feel of the narrative. The title refers to the conspiracy led by Dr. Zaius to suppress any information that might threaten Ape society and the overall tone of paranoia compliments elements from the films. Though the book contains mild spoilers for the three films, it should be a necessary companion volume as it serves an essential purpose in building up the connections between the films.

Ho letto e visto praticamente tutto quanto è stato edito sul tema: il libro non tradisce le attese

Great plot for all you original Planet of the apes movies and television series.Amazing ilustrations. Hard cover.Nice price

I have been a long time FAN of POTA and came across this recently. I didn't think I was going to enjoy it as much as I did but after the first few pages I was completely hooked. Very well written, fits perfectly into the continuity of the original POTA (1968). If are a POTA fan than this book is essential. BTW Gaska is an excellent writer and his writing style is very effective.

This is a wonderful entry into the Planet Of The Apes mythology, with some exquisite artwork. The author (Drew Gaska) certainly knows his subject and the new material he provides is authentic and believable. I'm looking forward to the next volume in the series, whenever that may appear. I'd advise you to buy this quick if you want it though, as it's about to go out of print.

The boyfriend loves it