Rating: 
Summary: Watership Down? NOT!
Review: As I read customer comments on this book and others I am always surprised at the number of 10s and 1s. In my experience precious few books fall at either end of the spectrum, and certainly not _Empire of the Ants_. I was intrigued by the various reviews of this book, and leafing through it briefly at the local bookstore whetted my appetite further. Will I ever learn to sit down in one of the danged armchairs and read an entire chapter before parting with my money? If I had done that I probably would still buy _Empire... *after* it came out in paperback! It's not that it's bad. It's a good idea, and I like the ending. But any similarity to _Watership Down_ is strictly superficial. In that very fine (IMHO) book, all the factual info on rabbits is given to the reader far more naturally, as an organic part of the narrative. Adams' fictional lapine culture and mythology are very convincingly portrayed through the characters and plot. However, every time Werber wants to tell us something about the physiology, social organization, or whatever of his ants, I can almost see him get up by his overhead projector, or perhaps hold up his to-scale models of the different ant species. Perhaps it's the fault of the translator, but I doubt it. It seems too intrinsic a flaw not to come from the author himself. Certainly the ants were more convincing characters than the humans. The idea that an award-winning scientist couldn't figure out in less than a minute the 6 match/4 triangle problem is ludicrous; it only took me that long and I'm not very good at puzzles based on spacial relationships. As I said, it's not bad. My kids would probably like it. It's no worse than most of what's published these days, and it is, after all, his first novel. I just wish I'd waited for the paperback version.
Rating: 
Summary: "Not Watership Down"
Review: I'm not a frequent reader of SF but after reading all the reader's reviews I decided to give it a shot. I found it to be a decent read but all the comparisons to Watership Down were a real stretch.
Rating: 
Summary: A Riveting Read
Review: I put the book away with the wish for another one as good as this one to be available soon. The information about the ants is fascinating, so is the storyline. Were it not for the fact that the human protagonists come through less well-rounded, I would have rated it a resounding 10.
Rating:
Summary: Not bad, but not great
Review: While I thought the idea behind the story was thouroghly original and refreshing, the literary execution of the human characters left quite a bit to be desired. I enjoyed the dialogue and communication between the ants about ten times as much as I did the rather tedious human interactions. Could this be saying something about society? Possibly, but I think it is the result of a novel by an author who has some good writing technique, some fantastic biological experience, but little relation to the subtle happenings of human interaction, but then again this book wasn't really about humans, was it?
Rating:
Summary: Excellent - Original Read
Review: All I can say is this is an Original SF and excellent to read. About 48hrs read time. Fast and entertaining along the way. You may never look at Ants' again in the same way.
Rating:
Summary: I'll never use raid again
Review: This author could write any genre he wants. He definitely researched his topic. Bernard Werber has a gift of keeping the reader in the dark without allowing him or her to lose their way. I found the translation weak at times but the story was so good I did not mind. A casual observer would try to compare this Watership Down. In that Novel the animals talk. In Empire of the Ants they communicate but like ants not humans. Werber even pays homage to ant researcher and author E.O. Wilson. The scientist's name in the story is Edmund Wells. An excellent read with lots of information along the journey.
Rating:
Summary: Superb!
Review: A wonderful read.
Rating:
Summary: A wonderfully odd look at a different universe right here!
Review: Bernard Werber has created a sophisticated world that starts with the complexities of an ant colony, and extrapolated it into a wild, weird adventure. This is the most original book I have read in years. I loved it!
Rating:
Summary: The most original science fiction book I've ever read.
Review: Have you ever been fascinated by ants? If not, after reading this book, you will. This is a war/detective/adventure/thriller strory set up in the empire of the ants. There are also co-starring a couple of humans and a dog, but the main character is young female ant. The author knows what he writes, he have studied ants for years, and the book is filled with real and accurate details. So, you could almost believe that this is (almost) true story after all (with an exception that ants aren't really *that* smart the author tries to pretend)... The only (minor) drawback comes from the translation (the original title is in French).
Rating:
Summary: Excellent ants'-eye view of the world; a gripping plot too.
Review: I am just an occasional science fiction reader, more interested in literary fiction than science fiction per se, but I was absolutely hooked by this book. The combination of the mysterious unfolding plot and the incredible and yet authentic-seeming detail of the ants' lives is a winner.
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