The Fall — William T. Quick

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.