Planet of the Apes: The Fall (Mass Market Paperback)

by William T. Quick (Author) "Lt. General Carl Vasich stood paralyzed on the Oberon's bridge as he stared in horror at the sight of Leo Davidson's pod inexplicably disappearing into..." (more)
Key Phrases: pregnant chimp, plasma blaster, med deck, Frank Barstow, New Hope, General Vasich (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
The starship Oberon is searching for its AWOL pilot when it crash-lands on an unknown planet, leaving all but a handful of its crewmembers dead. And those who remain are not alone in this strange, inhospitable world. A savage insectile race waits just below the surface, massing to obliterate the unwanted invaders. And the Oberon's last human survivors must look to unlikely allies for help: the apes they carried onboard. Using controversial gene technology, the starship's scientists hope to transform the primates into a powerful army -- strong, agile, subservient...and intelligent. But the consequences of playing God promise to be more devastating than anyone could have ever anticipated, ushering in a dark and terrifying future that will pit slave against master, ape against Man.

About the Author
William Thomas Quick is the author of twenty-eight novels, including the seminal cyberpunk cult hit Dreams of Flesh and Sand and the bestselling prehistoric thriller The Last Mammoth. He has also written numerous screenplays for film and television. He currently lives in San Francisco.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: HarperEntertainment; First Printing edition (June 4, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060086203
• ISBN-13: 978-0060086206
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,245,862 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Planet of the Dislikable, October 5, 2003

By	Michael Johnson (St. Charles, IL United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

As a boy in 1968 I had the pleasure of experiencing the "Planet of the Apes" phenomena first hand. I remember playing "Planet of the Apes" with my childhood friends. We would chase and capture each other as we took turns playing ape and marooned astronaut. I even remember collecting all the "Planet of the Apes" trading cards -- fond memories.

Consequently when I came across the book "Planet of the Apes: The Fall" when browsing I uncharacteristically purchased it on a whim. Unfortunately it was a disappointment.

Character development is minimal at best and the characters themselves are shallow and dislikable. The book also suffers from a tinge of politically correct stereotyping. The male characters are written as authoritarian, cowardly, hysterical and generally stupid. In contrast the female characters exhibit leadership, intelligence and bravery. But even these arch-matriarchs add little to the novel. They are mere feminist caricatures lacking any substance.

I also found the life form on the planet playing the role of adversary, the Brax, uninteresting. I would have preferred an adversary a little more tangible and believable.

However in its later stages the novel is somewhat rescued by two characters of interest, David and Jonathan. If not for these two characters I would not have finished the book or cared if the Brax annihilated the shipwrecked band humans and apes.

In summary, I wouldn't strongly recommend the book. However if you are stuck in an airport with few alternatives, I think it worthy of consideration.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very good ... a cool complement to Burton's film, July 12, 2002

By	Guy DuBlanc (USA) - See all my reviews

I was very impressed with this book. It is based upon Tim Burton's PLANET OF THE APES (POTA) film of 2001, which I really liked. THE FALL explains what happened to the Oberon space station that we see in the beginning. It adds much to explaining the backstory of the movie.

It's really cool. Mr. Quick does a good job with his characters as they are easily distinguished from each other. The writing is above average. A clear writing style and it is fast paced.

Content: Surprisingly, the book contains quite a bit of cursing. There are at least a dozen "F" swears, among other cursing. There is some violence as well. Were this a movie, it would be rated R. This surprised me since Planet of the Apes is usually PG (or recently PG-13) material. Also note: the typical POTA left-wing themes are here, particularly feminism. But in general, it's not preachy.

All in all, a solid sci-fi adventure. I like the concepts, the characters, the writing. Fans of POTA in general -- and the new film in particular -- should check this one out.

I'm definitely looking forward to more books in this series.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars GREAT IDEA THAT FALLS SHORT!, October 20, 2002

By	Michael & Angela (Florida) - See all my reviews

I was elated to see that someone attempted to write a new series of the movie, which to me, was somewhat of a let down.
Now, the book had a great idea in many different levels, but poor characters made it drag.
Just in my personal opinion, the apes were not written well, and most of the characters were not likeable, except the two brothers of human and ape mixed ancestry.
That was the best part of the novel, the human boy and his ape brother getting along, then separating at the end.
But the battles were just bland to me. Now, I'm an action freak and this could have been an awesome beginning that could've breathed new life in a epic movie series, but didn't.