Said to be the last of Tarzan's adventures where the narrative focuses solely on the the welfare of the main character, Tarzan and the Ant Men introduces more secondary characters whose lives are changed and effected due to their interaction with Tarzan. Tarzan experts claim this novel represents ERB at the height of his storytelling prowess and creativity, and a story structure that ERB would use in most subsequent Tarzan tales.I could have used a little more action, and less of the descriptions of the different tribes Tarzan encounters. ERB waxes a bit philosophic at times, with subtext commenting on the virtues of a society at war, the battle of the sexes, and the flaws of taxation. However, the author does some interesting "cross-cutting" between the main story and the sub-plot, that no doubt reminded me of filmic storytelling. In addtion, half the novel has a Barsoomian, John Carter flavor, as a shrunken Tarzan retains his full-sized strength among the Ant Men (even though we get to see it used sparingly, which is probably for the best).If you enjoy any of the Tarzan novels, you will probably find this entry satisfying and curious for more adventures. Reading this, as with any Tarzan novel, one can easily see how Holllywood fell in love with the Tarzan adventures.
I remember getting my start reading "Tarzan and the Leopard Man" some year in the 1950s. All I recall is being the the school library in Kenilworth, Illinois where we took naps on our personal unrolled rugs. Not being a good napper (not a napper at all), and being bored silly, my space always lay near the Tarzan books, the only one in reach. The next think I remember, was my first book addiction, one after the other until the year ended, the power of books to transport from the nap rug to the dark continent. Tarzan was in synch with my sympathies and unlike anyone I knew...my first hero? Perhaps? I soon gave these up, until I was in Marbella, Spain to study Spanish in 2011. There I read "Tarzan of the Apes" in Castillian Spanish...sort of.Knowing this my brother in law got me this book. I'll have to say it wasn't quite as good as I remembered it. Perhaps that is the tarnish of age in one quarter, offsetting the polish of gold in another.
What do You think about Tarzan And The Ant Men (1963)?
I've been enjoying the Tarzan books enormously up until now, but this one was horribly tedious. Way too much information about the ant-men, their customs, sewage systems, monetary systems, language, etc. etc. etc.Then try wading through tongue-twisting names like these in sentence after tiresome sentence:KomodoflorensalAdendrohahkisVeltopismakusianTrohanadalmakusianZoanthohagoHamadalbanZertolostoKalfastobanBurroughs must've randomly pounded his fist on the typewriter keys to come up with names for his characters.I gave up reading it about three-quarters of the way through. Hopefully, this book was just an unfortunate aberration and ERB will get back on track with more of the Tarzan I love in the volumes to follow.
—Leaflet
Tarzan takes off in his son's plane despite being warned that he is too inexperienced to fly solo, and promptly crashes it into the jungle. He encounters a primitive people where the women club the men and drag them round by the hair, and, realizing that this makes everyone very unhappy, he teaches the men how to use weapons, thus restoring their nutritional intake, and consequently, good looks and self-confidence. Order is restored when the men once again begin clubbing the women and forcing them to do the cooking, a bit of red-blooded violence being what was needed to reawaken the women's admiration, respect and undying devotion. Most of Tarzan's time, however, is spent visiting another civilisation where he is shrunk to less than 2 feet tall and becomes a slave.
—Ailish
Half of this book is a four star adventure with Tarzan first befriended by and then enslaved by a race of 1/4 sized humans with a structured ant-like community structure. The other half is a 2 star commentary on gender relations with a race of neanderthals where the women are strong and hunt and subjugate the men (until Tarzan teaches the men how to use weapons and stand up for themselves). Also included: not so subtle commentary on prohibition and World War I! Very Burroughsy, and absolutely worth reading for the title alone.
—Kristy
