When men discovered that the Planet of the Apes was their own Earth, it was only the beginning of the most incredible adventure of all time… BENEATH THE PLANET OF THE APES By Michael Avallone Thousands of years from now, in the buried ruins of what was once New York City, dark religious ceremonies pay tribute to the Great Bomb, bringer of life and death. In Ape City, the chimpanzees picket for peace while their gorilla leaders prepare for war. Two ruthless factions are racing towards calamity, as two men who somersaulted across time itself struggle for survival in a world that is no longer their own. ESCAPE FROM THE PLANET OF THE APES By Jerry Pournelle The time indicator races back through the years from 3955 to 1973. The spacecraft holds three survivors of a devastating cataclysm: Cornelius, his mate Zira, and Dr Milo. The world of 1973 welcomes the apes at first, pampering them for their unusual qualities. But when the truth of the thinking, speaking descendants that dominated Man and the Earth for centuries comes to light, this hospitality turns to threat.

本書は人類の文明崩壊を、冷徹かつ詩的な筆致で描いたＳＦ文学の白眉です。アヴァロンが綴る地下世界の黙示録的な狂信は、単なる冒険譚を超えた絶望の美学を提示します。朽ち果てた摩天楼を墓標に見立てる筆致は、活字を通じて読者の想像力を極限まで刺激し、底知れぬ虚無感をその胸に刻み込みます。 パーネルは、知的な猿が現代社会へ放り込まれる倒錯を通じ、人間の排他性を鋭くえぐり出します。宿命の連鎖と個の尊厳が崩れる悲劇が交錯する構成は圧巻です。読み終えた後、あなたは「人間とは何か」という問いの迷宮に放り込まれ、逃れられぬ戦慄に激しく身震いすることでしょう。