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Empire of the Ants: A Novel Mass Market Paperback – February 2, 1999

by Bernard Werber (Author)

95 customer reviews

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Here is the stunning international bestseller in the tradition of Watership Down but with a dark, original twist. Unique, daring, and unforgettable, it tells the story of an ordinary family who accidentally threaten the security of a hidden civilization as intelligent as our own--a colony of ants determined to survive at any cost....

Jonathan Wells and his young family have come to the Paris flat at 3, rue des Sybarites through the bequest of his eccentric late uncle Edmond. Inheriting the dusty apartment, the Wells family are left with only one warning: Never go down into the cellar.

But when the family dog disappears down the basement steps, Jonathan follows--and soon his wife, his son, and various would-be rescuers vanish into its mysterious depths.

Meanwhile, in a pine stump in a nearby park, a vast civilization is in turmoil. Here a young female from the russet ant nation of Bel-o-kan learns that a strange new weapon has been killing off her comrades. To find out why, she enlists the help of a warrior ant, and the two set off on separate journeys into a harsh and violent world. It is a world where death takes many forms--savage birds and voracious lizards, warlike dwarf ants and rapacious termites, poisonous beetles and, most bizarre of all, the swift, murderous, giant guardians of the edge of the world: cars.

Yet the end of the female's desperate quest will be the eerie secret in the cellar at 3, rue des Sybarites--a mystery she must solve in order to fulfill her special destiny as the new queen of her own great empire. But to do so she must first make unthinkable communion with the most barbaric creatures of all.

Empire of the Ants is a brilliant evocation of a hidden civilization as complex as our own and far more ancient. It is a fascinating realm where boats are built of leaves and greenflies are domesticated and milked like cows, where citizens lock antennae in "absolute communication" and fight wars with precisely coordinated armies using sprays of glue and acids that can dissolve a snail. Not since Watership Down has a novel so vividly captured the lives and struggles of a fellow species and the valuable lessons they have to teach us.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"This book, to put the matter quite simply, is a masterpiece. . . .Exhilaratingly thought-provoking."
--The Sunday Times (London)

"A marvel of warped imagination and offbeat suspense."
--British Esquire

"Like Watership Down, to which it will inevitably be compared, Werber's astonishing first novel invites readers into a highly imagined animal world."
--Publishers Weekly(starred review)

From the Hardcover edition.

From the Inside Flap

stunning international bestseller in the tradition of Watership Down but with a dark, original twist. Unique, daring, and unforgettable, it tells the story of an ordinary family who accidentally threaten the security of a hidden civilization as intelligent as our own--a colony of ants determined to survive at any cost....

Jonathan Wells and his young family have come to the Paris flat at 3, rue des Sybarites through the bequest of his eccentric late uncle Edmond. Inheriting the dusty apartment, the Wells family are left with only one warning: Never go down into the cellar.

But when the family dog disappears down the basement steps, Jonathan follows--and soon his wife, his son, and various would-be rescuers vanish into its mysterious depths.

Meanwhile, in a pine stump in a nearby park, a vast civilization is in turmoil. Here a young female from the russet ant nation of Bel-o-kan learns that a strange new weapon has been killing off her co

See all Editorial Reviews

Product details

Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Bantam; Second edition (February 2, 1999)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0553573527
ISBN-13: 978-0553573527
Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 0.7 x 6.9 inches
Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 95 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #139,627 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #180 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Animals
- #409 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Action & Adventure > Classics
- #2845 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Action & Adventure > Fantasy

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AnaG

GREAT book

August 16, 2017

Format: Mass Market PaperbackVerified Purchase

It is one of my favorite books of all time.
It is a murder story, which also talks about ants in a fiction manner. But the author is a scientific journalist. So he is integrating all of his knowledge with science, and ants in a cool story. I love Bernard Werber, I have read a lot of his books.

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L. Shelton

A genial concept and entertaining story

September 14, 2004

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

This book is my all-time favorite. Genre: science-fiction mixed with mystery and anthropology! I was blown away by the genius of the format: the alternance of human story, ant story and ant encyclopedia is unique! The human and ant stories are constructed to be such a good parallel to each other than with each new paragraph, you first can not tell whether it's about ants or people! Very entertaining and mind-bending too, with enigmas and an original plot not to be taken seriously!

This book totally changed my point of view on ants, which I can never splat anymore. I'd rather follow them around in the yard to observe their exciting adventures and struggles...

For those who loved this book, keep checking for future translations of other Bernard Werber books, almost as genial (I read them all in French). He's written two more ants books, two books about the after-death, and one book about the origins of mankind (about the "missing link"). Man! This guy has an imagination!!

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August 28, 2018

Format: Mass Market PaperbackVerified Purchase

this book was a great read in my opinion as a lover of fantasy and sci fi novels. the book gives you a in depth insight as to how ants could be seen to interact with one another. I much preferred reading about ants and their thoughts and interactions as opposed to what was going on in the human world, but the human plot points ended up tying in at the end of the book for an interesting ending.
Would Def recommended to ant lovers!

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May 20, 2014

Format: Mass Market PaperbackVerified Purchase

This is the story of a large community of ants, and of a family of humans who, living nearby, have discovered them. Most the stuff about the ants is how ants really live, but who knew they would have so many adventures!

The people are really different. They certainly have their share of adventures too.

The end is certainly surprising, and when all is over, you are not really sure if it is a good ending or a bad one.

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M. Downing

and I really enjoyed it immensely

March 17, 2016

Format: Mass Market PaperbackVerified Purchase

This book is somewhat dark but it will definitely hold your interest. I had read the book a few years ago, when I was looking for new authors to read, and I really enjoyed it immensely. I decided I wanted to read it again and this time keep the copy.

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January 29, 2018

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

Magnificent... takes you to another world of posebilities

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Linda L. Burton

Humans and ants delight and terrorize us. a gem!!

September 23, 1998

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

This book is creative and original. It tells the story of a few humans living in Paris in the early 21st century who are warned by Edmond not to go down into the cellar. The book then continues with a marvelous juxtaposition of human and ant lives. Characters are surprisingly real, both ants and people. Situations are original and while the book is a fantasy, witty social and philosophical commentaries are in abundance. It is obvious the author delights in his knowledge of ants and both delights and terrorizes us with this knowledge and a keen insight into characterization. I think this book should be considered for the Pulitzer Prize. It is a gem.

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Disappointed

March 21, 1998

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

I ordered this book mainly because of the great reviews that I read on the amazon.com page. After reading it, I must say I was disappointed. While the premise is intriguing, the author fails to engage the reader in that great thrall of adventure where one roots for characters one has grown to admire. Instead I found myself wishing that I were nearing the last page simply to get the read over with. As for comparing the book to Watership Down, I don't see the comparison, unless this book has lost something in the translation.

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