Empire of the Ants: A Novel

Bernard Werber is a genius. The way he jumps back between the fascinating heirarchial ant world and that of the individualistic off-kilter humans is wonderful to read. The first time I opened the book, I couldn't put it down for long time; it was so engaging and easy to read. The author mixes the factual and the fictional when dealing with the ants, which makes one wonder where the line between truth and fiction truly lies. His imaginative perspective on the society of the typical russet ant will forever change how I think of them, and in a larger context any social insect.It is a shame that none of his other books have been translated into english, because as I understand it Empire of the Ants is the first part of a trilogy. I'd truly love to see what Mr. Werber has come up with since then.True speculative grandeur!

Surprenant, mirobolant et une pluie de superlatifs!Un livre intelligent, magnifiquement ficelé. D'une construction inusité, ce roman est à la fois une excitante histoire dans le monde merveilleux des insectes et un traité philosophique et didactique.Le parralèle du monde des fourmis à celui des humains avec comme trame d'unité l'Encyclopédie du savoir relatif et absolu est un coup de génie. Bernard Werber nous informe, nous divertit et nous oblige à réfléchir: sublime alliage. Une entrée délectable à la trilogie des fourmis. Un "must" dans toutes les bonnes bibliothèques. Après avoir lu ce livre, je ne vois plus le monde des insectes du même oeil.PierreGuénette-CPC

I'd never heard of this book before stumbling across it in the bookstore, and bought it because I was intrigued by the jacket blurbs. Now, it's among my favorites (at least partly because it's so rare that something you take a chance on turns out to be such a pleasant surprise.) I've passed it along to several friends and relatives all of whom enjoyed it as much as I did. I'm looking forward to re-reading this one, and that's not something I often do. It's an unusual, unique story and the style suits it. I don't want to give anything away about the story (though other reviewers may have already done that) but I did want to cast my vote and recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a little fun, diversionary (and educational!) reading.

Partially because of the harsher criticism, I feel it necessary to address the question of translation. In the original French it is a rich and complex work that may simply not correspond to the structure of the endlish language. The subtlety of character explored within the nuances of his vocabulary did not (I felt) translate into the english version, but rather became akward and stilted as the translator tried to state what Werber had implied. Translation aside, the work remains fascinating in its exploration of alternatives to the stereotype of the hive mind. Rather than glorifying or desparaging the idea of a hive mind, Werber examines it as a fascinating contrast to human society, even using it to develop a light critique of certain aspects intrinsic in an individualistic society. The society of ants is thoughtfully constructed giving a balanced view of the positive aspects of a group mentality and some of the elements that are lacking due to the lessened degree of individuality - art, poetry etc. The Wells family, representing the smallest unit of human society, is shown in the process of confronting problems. Simultaneously the hive is shown solving problems. The two methods and ideologies emerge and teach much on the nature of our problem-solving, and reveal interesting ideas concerning human nature. By shifting frequently between the humans and the ants facing similar situations, Werber heightens the suspense, driving the plot, and causing the reader to continue his exploration of the diverse philosophies contained in the book. The shifting is somewhat clumsier in english, but worthwhile still(in french there are many subtle phoenetic ties and repeated phrases). Overall an interesting read and thoughtful look at human response to difficulty. END

This novel is incontestably one of the most exciting science-fiction stories I have ever read. Bernard Werber is not an entymologist as many people think: he is only a writer who has studied laws before becoming a scientific journalist at *Le Nouvel Observateur* but with the Empire of the Ants he tried to describe with philosophy and humour an almost perfect society. He didn't aim to show us how to live in perfect harmony, his own ambition is to show us simply that it does, in fact, exist...