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A Rustle in the Grass by Robin Hawdon
Tells the story of Dreamer, a soldier ant, his community, and their preparation to repulse an all-out attack by the red ants
Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1985
2 people are currently reading
214 people want to read
About the author
Robin Hawdon
28 books23 followersRobin Hawdon’s varied career has spanned numerous aspects of the arts. Actor, playwright, novelist and theatre director. Now one of Britain’s most prolific novelists and playwrights, with productions in at least forty countries and twenty languages. (see www.robinhawdon.com).
THE LAND, THE LAND, is his newest and perhaps most topical book - a psychological thriller involving a family's battle to preserve one of Britain's most beautiful landscapes.
NUMBER TEN is quite different. A fast action political thriller in the Lee Child genre, soon hopefully to be seen on Netflix.
SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST is Robin’s third novel and encompasses three of his deepest concerns – the extraordinary impact of science on mankind’s progress, the distorting effect of so much religious and superstitious prejudice on that progress, and the telling of real human stories (in this case three stories, all fundamentally inter-connected).
A RUSTLE IN THE GRASS, his first novel, has now been republished after it was discovered that, with the advent of the digital age, it has attracted an extraordinary list of 5 star reviews on Amazon.
Robin has been married for over forty years, has two daughters and four grand children, and lives between Bath, the South of France and Australia.
THE LAND, THE LAND, is his newest and perhaps most topical book - a psychological thriller involving a family's battle to preserve one of Britain's most beautiful landscapes.
NUMBER TEN is quite different. A fast action political thriller in the Lee Child genre, soon hopefully to be seen on Netflix.
SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST is Robin’s third novel and encompasses three of his deepest concerns – the extraordinary impact of science on mankind’s progress, the distorting effect of so much religious and superstitious prejudice on that progress, and the telling of real human stories (in this case three stories, all fundamentally inter-connected).
A RUSTLE IN THE GRASS, his first novel, has now been republished after it was discovered that, with the advent of the digital age, it has attracted an extraordinary list of 5 star reviews on Amazon.
Robin has been married for over forty years, has two daughters and four grand children, and lives between Bath, the South of France and Australia.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
August 15, 2020
I loved this book. An epic, fascinating and most enjoyable animal story for young adults upwards. It's all about the secret world of a colony of ants. It begins in the season of spring when the old and accepted order of a colony of ants is about to face new challenges as it begins to crumble. The theme is the familiar good versus evil. The author 's descriptions a are beautiful. A young ant...Dreamer... takes us into this absorbing story as disaster starts in the form of brutal red ants on the warpath and a determination to destroy the home of the age old colony and any more that cross their path. The young ant has to discover in the ensuing story what is worth dying for not just for himself. There is a desperate fight between the ants for survival. I think the names given to each of the ants are so original. Each name is given to describe not just the identity of an ant but also the name describes what each one does or what talent it has. Various morals and attitudes are brought into the story and relate to our human values in our world in general such as the value of life.. The characterisation is brilliant! Reading this quality book caused me to stop and think so often. I have tried hard not to include spoilers but I do recommend this book so highly!
February 24, 2009
One of my ABSOLUTE favorite books! I've read it atleast 15 times! My sister found this book in a flea market for 25 cents. I wasn't expecting much. I was blown away. I've since read this book aloud to my lil siblings on car trips and to my husband. I love it!
The premise, don't laugh, is about ants. Black ants in a peaceful colony are suddenly challenged when a neighboring mound is completely annihilated by aggressive red ants. The black ants must venture out by sending a spy party to investigate the motives and movements of the red ant colony. Not only are there adventures with spiders and storms, but a sort of "prisoner of war" escape and multiple fights. Back home the colony must deal with the death of a great leader, unfair treatment of worker ants, a worker ant uprising, a bird attack, etc. The book concludes with an epic battle...
I love the book, not just for how exciting it is, but because of the 'spiritual' lessons it contains. Morals and ethics are openly discussed through parables and tales. Really crystallizes the morality and immorality of war and violence as well as appreciating and respecting those around you.
The premise, don't laugh, is about ants. Black ants in a peaceful colony are suddenly challenged when a neighboring mound is completely annihilated by aggressive red ants. The black ants must venture out by sending a spy party to investigate the motives and movements of the red ant colony. Not only are there adventures with spiders and storms, but a sort of "prisoner of war" escape and multiple fights. Back home the colony must deal with the death of a great leader, unfair treatment of worker ants, a worker ant uprising, a bird attack, etc. The book concludes with an epic battle...
I love the book, not just for how exciting it is, but because of the 'spiritual' lessons it contains. Morals and ethics are openly discussed through parables and tales. Really crystallizes the morality and immorality of war and violence as well as appreciating and respecting those around you.
April 4, 2017
The first thing I want to say is that ANTS ARE PRIMARILY FEMALE.
ANT COLONIES ARE 95% FEMALE.
Guess what 99.7% of the characters in this book are?
(You guessed right, they're male).
As much as I really wanted to enjoy this, a novel about ants (<3), I just found it too difficult when there were so many scientific inaccuracies. They littered this, all over. It seemed like the author had gone off just what he had picked up over time about the subject matter, and that was the end of their research. So, from an ecologist's point of view, it made from frustrating reading. There was a lot of tell rather than show- especially near the end, where there was a half-page log of how Dreamer's world view had suddenly changed, and at that point, I had mostly just had enough and wanted to get to the end. A shame, because I don't think I'm going to come across many other books like this about insects.
ANT COLONIES ARE 95% FEMALE.
Guess what 99.7% of the characters in this book are?
(You guessed right, they're male).
As much as I really wanted to enjoy this, a novel about ants (<3), I just found it too difficult when there were so many scientific inaccuracies. They littered this, all over. It seemed like the author had gone off just what he had picked up over time about the subject matter, and that was the end of their research. So, from an ecologist's point of view, it made from frustrating reading. There was a lot of tell rather than show- especially near the end, where there was a half-page log of how Dreamer's world view had suddenly changed, and at that point, I had mostly just had enough and wanted to get to the end. A shame, because I don't think I'm going to come across many other books like this about insects.
August 26, 2020
7/30/2016- Adored this when I first read it at 12 years old. Very nervous about a re-read, fearing it might not be all that I remembered.
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July 30, 2016 – Started Reading
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July 30, 2016 – Started Reading
January 21, 2022
This is sweet little paperback about a colony of industrious ants that discover the looming threat of a colony of militant slaver red ants. A group of three soldiers are sent to investigate. Meanwhile a group of elderly worker ants organise to be represented on the colony's leadership.
The book's clearly not 100% scientifically accurate but is still a fun read with a perspective you don't often get.
The book's clearly not 100% scientifically accurate but is still a fun read with a perspective you don't often get.
May 21, 2016
What is the rustle in the grass? Ants.
This book is the story of Dreamer, a young soldier ant. He lives in a large usually peaceful mound with several queens one of whom is the Queen of Queens. He comes across a little worker ant from a satellite colony, the last survivor of a vicious attack of red ants.
Why is this ant called Dreamer? Because of his vivid dreams. These challenge him through The Voice to find his purpose in life, to think, to be something more.
The book may sound trivial at first but isn't. The themes are universal and worth thinking about. It ends with a challenge as to the purpose of life and reasons for facing disaster with calm courage even in the face of evil.
The book is well written. Although it can be read quickly as an adventure tale, it is much more than this and deserves a slower more thoughtful reading.
This book is the story of Dreamer, a young soldier ant. He lives in a large usually peaceful mound with several queens one of whom is the Queen of Queens. He comes across a little worker ant from a satellite colony, the last survivor of a vicious attack of red ants.
Why is this ant called Dreamer? Because of his vivid dreams. These challenge him through The Voice to find his purpose in life, to think, to be something more.
The book may sound trivial at first but isn't. The themes are universal and worth thinking about. It ends with a challenge as to the purpose of life and reasons for facing disaster with calm courage even in the face of evil.
The book is well written. Although it can be read quickly as an adventure tale, it is much more than this and deserves a slower more thoughtful reading.
August 6, 2019
I had had a lot of hopes for this book. It got so many good reviews. Told from an ant's point of view, it was all about ant society and such. While it seemed like maybe it was a realistic view on it, the writing was pretty bad, and I couldn't get into the story at all. Page-long sentences, rampant semicolon misuse, and other things. DNF
February 6, 2013
I read this a couple times as an adult and loved it. If I'd read this as a child it may well have traumatized me, but as an adult I totally appreciated the quest of the individual to find meaning in life in a brutal world. Brilliant.
December 1, 2021
I really wanted to love this but just got a bit bored. I find ants fascinating, and this had been on my TBR since 2015, a little known book, similar to Watership Down, but with ants. The characters are distinct and richly drawn and there is lots of adventure. I think this would be perfect for middle grade or lower YA readers who love nature, it probably would have had a bigger impact on me when I was young.
January 2, 2025
A riveting critique on colonization through the lens of battling ant colonies. Lovable characters, incredible integration of my favorite ant fun facts (aphid farming!!), and great nuggets of philosophy
April 4, 2018
Great book.
July 18, 2023
Ant politics
April 19, 2023
'A Rustle in the Grass' tells the story of an ant colony, who must deal with the threat posed by another species of ant living nearby. It is an engaging and entertaining story, but the factual errors somewhat spoiled it for me. Obviously with this kind of story some degree of anthropomorphism is inevitable, and I can accept the need for each ant to be a self-aware individual in order for it to work. What I found harder to accept was the frequent references to physical structures ants do not actually possess, such as skulls and lungs, and the fact that all the characters, with the exception of the queen, are male, when the vast majority of ants in a colony are sterile females. These are issues which could easily have been avoided without harm to the plot.
That said, it is an enjoyable read for anyone who likes animal stories, and might particularly appeal to younger readers who are less likely to notice the mistakes.
That said, it is an enjoyable read for anyone who likes animal stories, and might particularly appeal to younger readers who are less likely to notice the mistakes.
August 1, 2009
Watership Down with bugs instead of rabbits
Currently reading
July 15, 2011First 30 pages ok -rest are really good. My sister sent this book for my daughter.
June 2, 2014
Really lovely, though at bit cosy. Disaster never seems truly imminent. Beautifully and philosophically written.
July 21, 2013
very good read- Watership Down style!
December 4, 2014
I loved this book. It's about a colony of ants and there's intrigue, suspense, delight, surprise, and sorrow throughout. It's such a wonderful book that I still remember it after all these years.
June 25, 2020
Lovely story delving into the lives of a nest of ants facing the dangers of another bigger ant colony wanting to destroy them. Worth a few hours of relaxing reading.
July 12, 2023
i harbor inexplicable love towards this book, an epic fascinating tale about the hidden world of a colony of ants. such silly down to earth creatures
July 27, 2012
Very different novel. Well executed.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews