Rating: 
Summary: a startingly original page turner
Review: Bernard Werber's book makes you aware that you don't have to look up to the stars to find a world beyond your wildest dreams. The hero of the story is an ant colony- and you just get involved into interaction of this totally alien world and the humans. The story is fiction- but many of the underlying facts that seem unbelievable are true. I could not put the book down- and it was an incentive to read more nonfiction books on insects. Very original.
Rating: 
Summary: AN ADULT ADVENTURE IN A TINY KINGDOM
Review: This book is a very welcome antidote to the crude, infantile, relentlessly "cute" approach of such recent films as "Antz" and "A Bug's Life." Those stories may be entertaining for children, but the author of "Empire of the Ants" has succeeded in the very improbable task of dramatizing the lives of a handful of ants in a subtle, thoughtful, and gently humorous way that "grownups" can understand, appreciate, and enjoy. (Much of the credit for this undoubtedly goes to the translator, who did a superb job from the French.) The ant characters, for whom the reader comes to care deeply, are much better developed than the human characters, but that is excusable: the story, after all, isn't primarily about the humans. If the author makes a misstep, it is only in waxing philosophical at times; unfortunately, his musings are not as gripping as his narrative. But this is the only reason I don't give the book five stars. I couldn't put it down; I hated to turn the final page; and I shall never look at ants the same way again!
Rating:
Summary: A genial concept and entertaining story
Review: 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!!
Rating: 
Summary: Good, if you're about fourteen
Review: I think I would've enjoyed this book when I was a kid. However, the truth is, from a mature adult perspective, this book is interesting at times, but at others, its just plain stupid.
The characters are terrible. Especially the people. There seems to be no attempt at any character development (among the humans) at all, and they act in ways that are completely unbelievable. Who would leave their only son to the tender mercies of an orphanage for no good reason? Who would make a refuge from the outside world that you could never return from? How many 100 year old women do you know who could go traipsing through miles of rat infested tunnels with a rifle?
The ants are a little bit better fleshed out, but even there, I was a little disappointed. I was expecting a look inside a society (and/or mind) radically different from our own (maybe something like the Borg). Although the author tells us that the ants are radically different from us, there seems to be little evidence. The ants recognize each other as individuals and seem to solve problems in much the same way (basically, they brainstorm)as ourselves. In fact, if ants are this smart, I'm surprised they don't rule the world already (To be fair, the author would probably maintain that they do...)
I'm not even sure the author has his science right. I'm no expert, but I was surprised that a temperate country like France would have such an aggressive native species of ant. I mean, right in the beginning of the book, a woodpecker is torn apart from the inside out. You'd think that stupid bird would know enough to stay away from such a formidable species... Ah, well, evolution of the species, I guess
In conclusion, all I can say is, put your brain in neutral and don't expect too much. The comparisons to Watership Down are a joke. I can only assume that all the positive ratings are from kids.PS: Any reasonably intelligent individual should be able to solve the matchstick problem in under a minute.
Rating:
Summary: Something different and interesting
Review: Empire of the Ants is a great read. I got bogged down a few times by an over abundance of details, but not enough to make me lower my rating of this book. It is translated from French, so sometimes the writing is a bit bumpy. The story is really original and completely captivating. I even found myself dreaming about the story at night... This book was recommended to me by a friend and I went into it a bit skeptical, but it is amazing how much I got into ant life and the "characters" in the story. It is hard to find in bookstores...I ordered mine from Amazon. I have heard that there is another book that continues with the "ants" saga, but unfortunately, to my knowledge it is in French and is yet to be translated. One thing interesting...I enjoyed the character development of the ants more than I did the people. Overall, a decent read and definitely something different.
Rating:
Summary: great
Review: It was my favorite book. It just puts images in your head. ne of the most thought provoking books ive read. I would reccomend it to anyone whos interested in nature or a good book that is different.
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