≡ [PDF] Prophets of the Ghost Ants Clark Thomas Carlton 9781460949047 Books

Prophets of the Ghost Ants Clark Thomas Carlton 9781460949047 Books

Download As PDF : Prophets of the Ghost Ants Clark Thomas Carlton 9781460949047 Books

Prophets of the Ghost Ants Clark Thomas Carlton 9781460949047 Books

When a friend told me about this book, I made the mistake of "taking a quick look." Since I'm just getting back into flying this summer after a few years away, I've really been trying to focus on study for my flight review, but I kept getting sucked back into this book instead! I really couldn't put it down (and since I was reading it in the Kindle edition on my iPod Touch, it was always at hand).

I'm not usually a fantasy reader (I tend to go for "hard SF"), but this book is somehow in a strange zone that is not quite fantasy, not quite "hard" science fiction, but is "sciencey" enough to reward my suspension of disbelief (great storytelling and characters helped too). The last time this happened was with a book Amazon was giving away as a Kindle loss-leader, "His Majesty's Dragon" by Naomi Novik. I was skeptical because dragon books are generally pure fantasy, but it was no risk to try. In that book, Novik re-imagines the Napoleonic wars with air power - flying, intelligent, talking dragons that crews of men ride into battle. The historical fiction is played straight (like a naval history novel), and the dragons are simply folded into that world (with great relationships between the dragons and their crews, especially their captains). That worked well enough to sell me six sequels! I think Carlton's "ant world" will be equally fertile (despite a similar disregard for physical scaling laws - dragons as described would be way too heavy to fly, and ant-size humans? I don't know, but it works in the book!).

Some other reviewers have mentioned The Lord of the Rings, and I have to agree that the scope, world-building, compelling characters, and action/battle scenes of this book are of that quality. There is also the "unlikely hero" angle - but otherwise the stories are completely different. And although it's not hard SF, the biology of ants and other insects is an important part of the way these tiny human societies work, and it seems to be pretty accurate (and occasionally disgusting). There's also a tremendous amount of cultural anthropology embedded in this book - not in a scholarly way, but in an Ursula Le Guin sort of way. Under these circumstances and constraints, what would societies be like? What would their folk ways be like? Carlton has clearly thought a lot about these things, and they give the book an amazing depth and richness.

This is a great book. I can't wait for the sequels (and the movie!).


Tags : Prophets of the Ghost Ants [Clark Thomas Carlton] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. I had my proverbial socks knocked off … extraordinary scope of imagination … it’s a great novel … a classic … a tour-de-force of the imagination … a perfect example of very skillful storytelling,Clark Thomas Carlton,Prophets of the Ghost Ants,CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform,1460949048,FICTION Science Fiction Action & Adventure

Prophets of the Ghost Ants Clark Thomas Carlton 9781460949047 Books Reviews

It's often said that a story is "larger than life." Here, by shrinking humans down to one ten thousandth of their current size, that statement is literally true.

The world in this book is gigantic, and so are the (insect) monsters that inhabit it, the human empires that attempt to control it, and the mystery. You learn a lot about the hero, Anand's, home colony, and the neighboring colonies, but can't help but wonder what else is out there, especially considering that the "known world" could be a relatively small place to the reader.

From the very beginning, I liked and empathized with Anand, and even though you know from the description that he will rise from the bottom caste of society to heroically lead his people, you can't help but feel for him and root for him every step of the way. He and the other characters are all believable, and I especially enjoyed the political intrigue between the royals.

If you know something about insect biology, you will be rewarded. For example, I liked how the human caste system tied in to the ant caste systems. But it doesn't get in the way of the story. There's just enough detail to create a complete fantasy world, but no more.

There's some violence in the story, but it's necessary, because this is a story about a harsh world.

The illustrations are beautiful with bright, rich colors, but came out a little small on my phone. So if that's important to you, you might want to view on a larger device.

Something else to note, this version is one part of a much longer book, so you are paying for the illustrations. For the full story, you need the non-illustrated paperback, which I plan to get soon!

Update I did pick up the paperback, and it did not disappoint!!!
I wasn't certain that giant bugs would be an appealing read. But Carlton makes a wonderful tale out of an alternate evolution of mankind. This odd little book was refreshing and not your usual humdrum medieval setting epic fantasy. I found myself enthralled by how this civilization used the ants and other insects and wanted to read on. The worldbuilding is creative and fascinating.

I enjoyed the MC Anand and his rise above the caste system to something greater. I took one star off because to me the battles at the end got a little tedious and could have been shortened to move the plot along - but that is just my preference and if you like battles you'll love it. Altogether a fun, entrancing and stunningly original read.
When a friend told me about this book, I made the mistake of "taking a quick look." Since I'm just getting back into flying this summer after a few years away, I've really been trying to focus on study for my flight review, but I kept getting sucked back into this book instead! I really couldn't put it down (and since I was reading it in the edition on my iPod Touch, it was always at hand).

I'm not usually a fantasy reader (I tend to go for "hard SF"), but this book is somehow in a strange zone that is not quite fantasy, not quite "hard" science fiction, but is "sciencey" enough to reward my suspension of disbelief (great storytelling and characters helped too). The last time this happened was with a book was giving away as a loss-leader, "His Majesty's Dragon" by Naomi Novik. I was skeptical because dragon books are generally pure fantasy, but it was no risk to try. In that book, Novik re-imagines the Napoleonic wars with air power - flying, intelligent, talking dragons that crews of men ride into battle. The historical fiction is played straight (like a naval history novel), and the dragons are simply folded into that world (with great relationships between the dragons and their crews, especially their captains). That worked well enough to sell me six sequels! I think Carlton's "ant world" will be equally fertile (despite a similar disregard for physical scaling laws - dragons as described would be way too heavy to fly, and ant-size humans? I don't know, but it works in the book!).

Some other reviewers have mentioned The Lord of the Rings, and I have to agree that the scope, world-building, compelling characters, and action/battle scenes of this book are of that quality. There is also the "unlikely hero" angle - but otherwise the stories are completely different. And although it's not hard SF, the biology of ants and other insects is an important part of the way these tiny human societies work, and it seems to be pretty accurate (and occasionally disgusting). There's also a tremendous amount of cultural anthropology embedded in this book - not in a scholarly way, but in an Ursula Le Guin sort of way. Under these circumstances and constraints, what would societies be like? What would their folk ways be like? Carlton has clearly thought a lot about these things, and they give the book an amazing depth and richness.

This is a great book. I can't wait for the sequels (and the movie!).