Titan Books; $7.99

Conceived as a bridge between Rise of the Planet of the Apes and the upcoming feature film Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Greg Keyes’ Firestorm is a gripping sequel to Rise, with its story beginning just days later. With the government trying to prevent panic and San Francisco on the throes of a full-fledged deadly epidemic, there’s an overwhelming sense of both secrecy and urgency for many of the human characters. That doesn’t mean, however, that there aren’t politicians and powerbrokers looking to play the angles, pretty clearly not recognizing the severity of what’s going on.

On the side of the apes, those physically affected by the mist in Rise are demonstrating their newly increased intelligence by trying to outrun and outmaneuver the authorities among the giant redwoods of the Muir Woods. The story is compelling across the board, but it’s here that Keyes really shines. Yes, many of the apes are now intelligent, but he notes that this doesn’t retroactively make their pre-mist memories different. Without getting mired in the concept, he addresses it in insightful fashion and lets that inform some of the ape characters’ present actions.

If you’re a Planet of the Apes fan, this is highly recommended.