Its subject is unknown at the beginning of the novel, but its author, Edmond Wells, was deep into myrmecology and wanted to establish communication with the ants. The encyclopedia was written by a deceased mad scientist, the relatives of whom form most of the human characters in the novel. Werber weaves three distinct threads through the book’s narrative: ant POV passages, human POV passages, and fictional encyclopedia entries. This book is strange in that the majority of it is narrated from the point of view of ants. I know this because I have just finished reading a book called Empire of the Ants. This process is called trophallaxis, and for ants, it’s a way to bond, exchange pheromones, and get valuable caloric units to the members of the colony that need it most. Once you lock lips and do the exchange, you feel reenergized and ready to take on the world. You are about to fall down with fatigue, but you turn to your friend, who offers you nourishment from his or her own stomach. You’ve been working for 12 hours straight, or you’ve just run 10 miles, or you’ve just moved all of your furniture to a new apartment and only one of your friends actually showed up to help. Imagine this: you are absolutely crushed with exhaustion. In Life After the Star Wars Expanded Universe, we take a look at science fiction and fantasy, why they’re great, and what they say about where our species has been and where it’s going.

Empire of the ants werber