15 replies to this topic

[kalimant]

The first book I can think of is from the 1970s...

 

Serpent's Reach by  C. J. Cherryh

 

https://www.amazon.c...h/dp/0749301007

 

Anything else?

[ANTdrew]

Empire of the Ants by Bernard Werber is a really fun read.

[kalimant]

Empire of the Ants by Bernard Werber is a really fun read.

 

Ah! Yeah....I forgot about that. Good one with Linepithema humile and the Formica (?)

 

https://www.amazon.c...r/dp/0553573527

[kalimant]

In the 1970s, there were quite a few horror books that had various monstrous critters in them.

 

This was one I read when I was younger:

 

The Ants by Peter Tremayne

https://www.goodread...ok/show/7103314

[Ernteameise]

Just discovered this one:

The Cretaceous Human(ts) Extinction: When the ants took over (by Luis-Oliver St. Pierre).

Downloaded it for my Kindle.

Might become my holiday read when I have some time off the week after next.

[kalimant]

Just discovered this one:

The Cretaceous Human(ts) Extinction: When the ants took over (by Luis-Oliver St. Pierre).

Downloaded it for my Kindle.

Might become my holiday read when I have some time off the week after next.

 

Never heard of it, but it's new so...

 

 

https://www.amazon.c...k/dp/B0CVQ45LD8

[kalimant]

I had this paperback when I was younger. Part of my SF collection.

 

It had great scenes of Atta leafcutters fighting against army ants, if I remember correctly.

 

The Micronauts by Gordon M. Williams

https://www.goodread...ook/show/874830

[Ernteameise]

So I have now started reading the above mentioned  "The Cretaceous Human(ts) Extinction: When the ants took over (by Luis-Oliver St. Pierre)".
It is a time travel / parallel universe horror story about two scientists marooned on a parallel earth after a badly gone wrong portal experiment.
This parallel earth has giant ants that attack and devour everything on sight.
This book is of the genre "horror road trip" where the protagonists have to flee across country to reach safety. Basically like every other zombie story, just with giant man-eating ants instead of zombies.
It is very well paced and pretty well written.
Lots of easter-eggs for ant keepers (the guy who wrote it is member in one of my ant FB groups).
I had expected nothing of this book (just bought it on a whim and because the author was plugging it on FB), but I have to admit this is a really fun read, and I am enjoying myself.

I was totally sold on this right after some giant acorn ants (Temonthorax) made their appearance.

So far, this really is not bad.

[Locness]

If you are into manga, there is quite a bit involving insects, arachnids, etc. Terra Formars is one.

[kalimant]

So I have now started reading the above mentioned  "The Cretaceous Human(ts) Extinction: When the ants took over (by Luis-Oliver St. Pierre)".
It is a time travel / parallel universe horror story about two scientists marooned on a parallel earth after a badly gone wrong portal experiment.
This parallel earth has giant ants that attack and devour everything on sight.
This book is of the genre "horror road trip" where the protagonists have to flee across country to reach safety. Basically like every other zombie story, just with giant man-eating ants instead of zombies.
It is very well paced and pretty well written.
Lots of easter-eggs for ant keepers (the guy who wrote it is member in one of my ant FB groups).
I had expected nothing of this book (just bought it on a whim and because the author was plugging it on FB), but I have to admit this is a really fun read, and I am enjoying myself.

I was totally sold on this right after some giant acorn ants (Temonthorax) made their appearance.

So far, this really is not bad.

 

Thanks for the summary! So was it ever explained how the ants got to be so large? Plus, I assume not all of the ants are devouring everything in sight ;-)

[kalimant]

If you are into manga, there is quite a bit involving insects, arachnids, etc. Terra Formars is one.

 

I assume it's this long series.

 

https://www.amazon.c...s/dp/B07JJLRDP6

[ANTdrew]

I just started reading this old novel, which is told from the point of view of an Atta colony that sets out from Venezuela to explore North America. It’s superb!

[Munk]

Having recently written a sci-fi book with ants, I stumbled across this string and was compelled to join the community. Though I am ant keeper curious, I am not an ant keeper and do not regard my writing as scientifically accurate. But there are ants! At least one in the first book and many, many more in the second (due out later this year.)

 

https://www.amazon.c...38079985&sr=8-1

 

[Lazarus]

For movies you can just look at my Avatar: Phase IV

I also read the source novel by Barry Malzberg but this was 30 years ago so I don't remember much about the book.

Probably the most famous ant horror movie is Them! which despite it's age is a really good film.

Another good 'generic insect' horror movie is a film simply called "Bug". It was a TV movie from the seventies that I loved. For that one too I looked for the source material which is a novel call The Hephaestus Plague which I thought was better than the film.

[ANTdrew]

For movies you can just look at my Avatar: Phase IV
I also read the source novel by Barry Malzberg but this was 30 years ago so I don't remember much about the book.

Probably the most famous ant horror movie is Them! which despite it's age is a really good film.

Another good 'generic insect' horror movie is a film simply called "Bug". It was a TV movie from the seventies that I loved. For that one too I looked for the source material which is a novel call The Hephaestus Plague which I thought was better than the film.

It’s good to see you back!

[OhNoNotAgain]

Ah, bummer, I don't think my books count. Science + fiction does not make science-fiction, sadly. (The Famous Flying Ant of Arcadia series - kids' books, adventure fiction, from the PoV of ants, isopods, spoods, etc. ... self-published though.)

 

Horror-wise, I've been watching anime on Crunchyroll and the current story arc for Solo Leveling (based on a Korean manhwa) involves giant "ants." Not REALLY ants, but ant-like supernatural creatures with no larval phase, supersoldier male ant walking around on two legs, and other not-ant features - but it's definitely a bit of a horror vibe. Like it's creepier than all the previous supernatural stuff from the last two seasons, at least IMHO.

 

Lastly, it's not ants but bees: _The Bees: A Novel_ seems pretty dystopian and has a vaguely science-fiction vibe. (Didn't actually read more than the preview, though.)

Edited by OhNoNotAgain, March 20 2025 - 8:09 PM.