Archaia Entertainment has announced that it will release an illustrated prose novel, Conspiracy of the Planet of the Apes, this Summer.

Archaia, which is currently publishing a new Planet of the Apes comic book series, will release the 176-page hardcover, its first delving into prose books, on July 25, 2011. The book, which is written by Andrew E.C. Gaska from a story by Gaska, Rich Handley, Christian Berntsen, and Erik Matthews, will recount events that took place off-screen in the classic 1968 film Planet of the Apes.

Click the image here above for the larger, full version of the cover.

Conspiracy of the Planet of the Apes will contain 30 full-color paintings and another 19 black-and-white illustrations, as well as a cover by artist Jim Steranko (Raiders of the Lost Ark, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.) and interior art from Ken Kelly (Conan, KISS), Joe Jusko (Savage Sword of Conan, Tarzan), Sanjulian (Eerie, Vampirella), Mark Texeira (Ghost Rider, Wolverine), Leo Leibelman (Heavy Metal), Matt Busch (Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica), Brian Rood (Indiana Jones, Star Wars), Tom Scioli (Godland), David Hueso (G.I. Joe: Storm Shadow), Dan Dussault (Critical Millennium), and Dirk Shearer (Mice Templar).

After his spacecraft smashes into the dead sea of an alien planet, a man is separated from his fellow astronauts when a raiding party of intelligent apes attacks them. Captured, he finds himself a prisoner in a world turned upside down, with apes as the rulers and man in its zoos. His only hope is to communicate with a couple of chimpanzee scientists who just might be open-minded and compassionate enough to be sympathetic to his cause. But the man named John Landon will discover that intelligent minds, be they ape or man, all fear the unknown, and his destiny is not to become part of this new world, but instead to find himself under the knife of a simian brain surgeon on the PLANET OF THE APES.

Set during the classic 1968 film, CONSPIRACY OF THE PLANET OF THE APES tells the story of what happened between the scenes and centers on the astronaut Landon, Gorilla police chief Marcus, and Chimpanzee scientist Dr. Milo, and contains over 50 illustrations from various top talents in the industry, including full-color paintings by Jim Steranko, Joe Jusko, Dave Dorman, Barron Storey, Sanjulian and Mark Texiera, starship design by Andrew Probert, character portraits by Matt Busch and more!