I have always found ants rather fascinating and so was looking forward to reading this book. I was not disappointed! The book is full of all sorts of interesting facts about ants, mostly Formica polyctena. I knew that there were are a lot of ants in a nest, but that it was so many as a half million was new for me. The queen lives for 20 years!! They have an incredible sense of smell with more than 400 receptors!!! But the book is not just a dry summing up of facts, Achilles Cools manages to recount these in a logical and interesting way. It is well-written and easy to read. The short chapters make it easy as well.
Of course, there are also negative points. Some chapters have nothing at all to do with ants, and I am not sure that the book is better for them. Several typos have escaped the proofreader's attention. One or two statements are a little exaggerated; interesting as the publication about how ants solves the 'travelling salesman' problem is, I am not convinced that it is "one of the most important articles in the last 20 years". Are modular robots really currently used in space missions, or is that more of an idea, and if so, just how important was the self-organisation of ants in inspiring their algorithms?
But those are minor quibbles. This is an enjoyable book, well worth reading. And the drawings are wonderful!

Disclaimer: This review is based on a copy kindly provided by the publisher for the Senia Natuur en Lezen werkgroep.