The Empire of The Ants

By H G Wells

The Empire of The Ants by H. G. Wells is a story about a group of ants who build an empire. The story follows the ants as they go about their everyday lives, building their empire and expanding their territory. The story is told from the perspective of the ants, and we see the world through their eyes. The story is a metaphor for human society, and it shows us how we can learn from the ants.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Interactive Media
• Release date: Apr 4, 2017
• ISBN: 9781787242227

H G Wells

H.G. Wells (1866–1946) was an English novelist who helped to define modern science fiction. Wells came from humble beginnings with a working-class family. As a teen, he was a draper’s assistant before earning a scholarship to the Normal School of Science. It was there that he expanded his horizons learning different subjects like physics and biology. Wells spent his free time writing stories, which eventually led to his groundbreaking debut, The Time Machine. It was quickly followed by other successful works like The Island of Doctor Moreau and The War of the Worlds.

Book preview

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H. G. Wells

The Empire of The Ants

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Fantastica

Published by Fantastica

This Edition first published in 2017

Copyright © 2017 Fantastica

All Rights Reserved.

ISBN: 9781787242227

Contents

THE EMPIRE OF THE ANTS

THE EMPIRE OF THE ANTS

I

When Captain Gerilleau received instructions to take his new gunboat, the Benjamin Constant, to Badama on the Batemo arm of the Guaramadema and there assist the inhabitants against a plague of ants, he suspected the authorities of mockery. His promotion had been romantic and irregular, the affections of a prominent Brazilian lady and the captain’s liquid eyes had played a part in the process, and the Diario and O Futuro had been lamentably disrespectful in their comments. He felt he was to give further occasion for disrespect.

He was a Creole, his conceptions of etiquette and discipline were pure-blooded Portuguese, and it was only to Holroyd, the Lancashire engineer who had come over with the boat, and as an exercise in the use of English—his th sounds were very uncertain—that he opened his heart.

It is in effect, he said, to make me absurd! What can a man do against ants? Dey come, dey go.

They say, said Holroyd, "that these don’t go. That chap you said was a

Sambo——"

Zambo;—it is a sort of mixture of blood.

Sambo. He said the people are going!

The captain smoked fretfully for a time. Dese tings ‘ave to happen, he said at last. "What is it? Plagues of ants and suchlike as God wills. Dere was a plague in Trinidad—the little ants that carry leaves. Orl der orange-trees,

Reviews for The Empire of The Ants

[stephenbarkley · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

In high school I became infatuated with the fathers of science fiction: Jules Verne & H. G. Wells. After having read many of his famous works (The Invisible Man, The Island of Doctor Moreau, and The Time Machine to name a few), it was a pleasure to find a slim collection of his short stories.This Scholastic Publication contains five stories:1. The Empire of the Ants (1905)2. The Country of the Blind (1904)3. The Crystal Egg (1897)4. The Man Who Could Work Miracles (1898)5. The Magic Shop (1903)Two of the stories really stand out. “The Country of the Blind” explores the old proverb, “In the Country of the Blind the One-eyed Man is King”. The unconventional twist (although not entirely unexpected) fires the reader’s imagination. “The Crystal Egg” reminded me of C. S. Lewis’ unfinished The Dark Tower. Come to think of it, the idea of a crystal orb granting vision resonates with Stephen King’s Dark Tower books as well.Unfortunately, the rest of the stories are at or below average. They might have been titillating in an age where science fiction was novel but they don’t stand up as well today. Unless you’re an H. G. Wells completist, stick to his major works of science fiction.

[andyray_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Somebody in Hollywood was looped at a party and said, "Hey! Here's a H.G. Wells story nobody's put on film yet." Soooooo.... I was Privileged (?) to be in Belle Glade, Fla. when they shot their scenes there, and they shot them at my boss's sugar processing plant. I met Robert Strauss, a bit actor of the 1950s, 60s, and 70s, on Avenue E. one afternoon, and had a small conversation. Told him I'd bumped into him outside of the Lamb's Club in the city a decade before. Well, the movie, much like the book, was disjointed and far from thrilling. At least the book earned two stars. The movie didn't even earn one.