Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    We Are the Ants
    We Are the Ants
    We Are the Ants
    Audiobook9 hours

    We Are the Ants

    Written by Shaun David Hutchinson

    Narrated by Gibson Frazier

    4/5

    ()

    Switch to ebook

    About this audiobook

    A Time Best YA Book of All Time (2021)

    From the “author to watch” (Kirkus Reviews) of The Five Stages of Andrew Brawley comes an “equal parts sarcastic and profound” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) novel about a teenage boy who must decide whether or not the world is worth saving.

    Henry Denton has spent years being periodically abducted by aliens. Then the aliens give him an ultimatum: The world will end in 144 days, and all Henry has to do to stop it is push a big red button.

    Only he isn’t sure he wants to.

    After all, life hasn’t been great for Henry. His mom is a struggling waitress held together by a thin layer of cigarette smoke. His brother is a jobless dropout who just knocked someone up. His grandmother is slowly losing herself to Alzheimer’s. And Henry is still dealing with the grief of his boyfriend’s suicide last year.

    Wiping the slate clean sounds like a pretty good choice to him.

    But Henry is a scientist first, and facing the question thoroughly and logically, he begins to look for pros and cons: in the bully who is his perpetual one-night stand, in the best friend who betrayed him, in the brilliant and mysterious boy who walked into the wrong class. Weighing the pain and the joy that surrounds him, Henry is left with the ultimate choice: push the button and save the planet and everyone on it…or let the world—and his pain—be destroyed forever.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSimon & Schuster Audio
    Release dateApr 26, 2016
    ISBN9781508223016
    Author

    Shaun David Hutchinson

    Shaun David Hutchinson is the award-winning author of several books for young adults and the editor of multiple young adult anthologies. A native Floridian, Shaun currently resides in Seattle, where he spends his free time running, baking, and designing virtual worlds. He can be found online at shaundavidhutchinson.com or on Twitter @shauniedarko.

    More audiobooks from Shaun David Hutchinson

    Related to We Are the Ants

    Related audiobooks

    YA Science Fiction For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      The Final Truth

      Jan 21, 2020

      The Final Truth
      5 min read

    • Article

      A Letter to My Sons

      Sep 25, 2019

      A Letter to My Sons
      7 min read

    • Article

      Notes From A Nothing

      Feb 14, 2020

      Notes From A Nothing
      13 min read

    • Article

      Three Poems

      Jul 1, 2020

      The purpose of being alive is to carry a sequence of code.And so, being adopted, I’m part of a plot, a sleeper cellin enemy territory, quietly working against the systemfrom within. It’s fall, I’m on an ancestry website signing up for a DNA kit,becau

      4 min read

    • Article

      Three Poems

      Mar 1, 2019

      I was like you once, a sealed plastic bag of water filters floating on the sea. I thought my numbers proved my time and space on earth. I thought having children was a way of creating more love. I thought thoughts I was ashamed to speak in case they

      15 min read

    • Article

      Adults Beware: On the Wisdom of the Goosebumps Books

      May 15, 2018

      R.L. Stine’s horror adventures for kids, Goosebumps, are apparently the second best selling book series in history, right behind the exploits of the world’s most famous wizard. As a lifelong Goosebumps fan, I find this endlessly puzzling. It is

      6 min read

    • Article

      A Symposium on Childhood

      Sep 1, 2021

      A Symposium on Childhood
      25 min read

    • Article

      Table Talk

      Jun 1, 2023

      Table Talk
      11 min read

    • Article

      Five Poems

      May 1, 2022

      If I call myself unlovable, I am, practically; if I say itenough times: unlovable. Then, like practical magic, I’m hollow as old garlic; I’m distance-skinned.I’m a long, mean package, a terror-dyke, a nag, a squinting, slut-spun hag—it’s easy, really

      5 min read

    • Article

      The Inventions of Witches

      Oct 30, 2017

      The Inventions of Witches
      7 min read

    • Article

      Sweet Fantasy

      Nov 20, 2021

      Sweet Fantasy
      8 min read

    • Article

      Woman About Town

      Mar 30, 2023

      I AM LEARNING TO DRIVE.The most remarkable thing about this is that I’ve managed to get so far through adult life without doing it already — particularly given that I grew up in a village where buses were mythical beasts, to be summoned with sacrific

      3 min read

    • Article

      Caught Out

      Oct 2, 2022

      Caught Out
      9 min read

    • Article

      Zooming Out

      Oct 24, 2021

      Zooming Out
      2 min read

    • Article

      Out Of The Mouths Of Babes

      Dec 11, 2023

      Out Of The Mouths Of Babes
      9 min read

    • Article

      Dark Tales

      Dec 2, 2021

      Dark Tales
      6 min read

    • Article

      How the Lark Got Her Crest

      May 30, 2023

      How the Lark Got Her Crest
      15 min read

    • Article

      The Letterbox

      Apr 1, 2019

      Dear Everybuggy, I’ve been getting your mag for two years and I absolutely love it! Zoot, I have been playing the violin for five or six years and I am trying to convince my four-year-old sister to play cello. Right now she has her heart set on playi

      7 min read

    • Article

      CLASSIC Cries

      Oct 1, 2020

      CLASSIC Cries
      10 min read

    • Article

      CLASSIC Cries

      Oct 1, 2020

      CLASSIC Cries
      10 min read

    • Article

      Morbidity & the Miniature

      May 11, 2018

      Morbidity & the Miniature
      14 min read

    • Article

      A Chip Off The Old Block

      Jun 5, 2022

      A Chip Off The Old Block
      9 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for We Are the Ants

    4/5

    490 ratings21 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 4/5
      A unique exploration of the trauma of losing loved ones.
    • 5/5
      If you knew the Earth was ending and you had the opportunity to press a button that could stop the Earth’s destruction, would you? Would you press it without hesitation? Or would you think about it?

      For some of us, the answer is easy of course they would press the button! For others the answer is not so simple, some may even consider not pressing the button at all.

      We are the ants is probably going to be one of my favorite books of 2016. Is it too early to say that? Probably right? Well I’m already shoving this book into other people faces so READ THIS AND READ THIS NOW and if you don’t like it please don’t break my heart and tell me.

      Henry is our main character and he is probably one of the realist characters I have ever read. He is not the perfect main character. He has the opportunity to save the world, that’s something main other YA characters would have done without hesitation. But you know what, he isn’t sure he wants to save the world. He’s not sure the world is worth saving or that he is worth saving. He has gone through so much in so little time, his boyfriend killed himself without an explanation, his grandma is slowly losing herself, his brother is a jerk, and his mom is barely keeping it together. He is constantly bullied and ridiculed by his classmates. It should come to no surprise that Henry doesn’t want to save the Earth.

      I loved how the story didn’t revolve around the romance in fact it played a little part in the bigger picture. The secondary characters play an important role in showing us that not every one is just one sided but we are complex individuals. Each character had amazing character development.

      When I’m reading on my kindle I highlight things here and there throughout every book I read but with We are the ants, I felt like every other page I was highlighting something.

      I laughed out loud, I almost cried, I was shocked and I was angry. I love any author who can bring out such intense emotions from me. There were times where I felt like Henry, I understood Henry searching for the answers to his boyfriend’s suicide, and I was always searching for clues when it came to my friend’s suicide. I understood every question, every why, always battling the should’ves, could’ves, would’ves. Even though he is a fictional character, I felt like Henry had a little piece of me in him and that is something I will carry with me for a very long time.

      I had never read a book by Shaun David Hutchison before nor had I heard about him. But after finishing We Are The Ants that’s definitely changed and I plan on getting my hands on every single one of his books. I hope you read this and I hope you love We are the ants.

      Disclosure: I received a copy in exchanged from an honest review.
    • 5/5
      I consumed this book so voraciously and so quickly that I don't even know how to properly convey to you how wonderful it was. I loved how unflinchingly honest Henry's narrative was. I loved the characters, who were all undeniably fleshed out and complex (literally every single character was developed to some extent). I loved the weird sci-fi aspect that Hutchinson incorporated into this book. I loved the writing style, which was poignant without being cheesy and authentic without seeming like it was trying too hard.

      You know a book's truly great when you're left thinking about it days after you've finished it. We Are the Ants has not let me out of its hold ever since I finished it, and I love this book for it.
    • 2/5
      The writing is too juvenile. Character Diego carried the book.
    • 5/5
      4,5 stars

      Thoroughly enjoyable. I don't have first hand experience of losing someone to suicide or of being in an abusive relationship, but I felt like this was a very good representation on what going through those things could be like. I especially thought that Henry and Marcus' relationship was portrayed very well. This is pretty much how I would imagine someone who stays with an abusive partner would justify the other's actions.

      The main message I got out from this was that you have to save yourself if you want to survive, no one else can be happy for you. Just like you can't be the reason for someone else's happiness. I liked how there were no miracle cures, no "love concurs all" plot devices and how real it all felt. Life is ugly, and difficult, and often it'd be easier to just give up. But life is also beautiful, and amazing, and worth living.
    • 5/5
      Powerful story. I feel for Henry. But admire his resilient. Happy with the ending also. I loved it!
    • 5/5
      Turmoily, well written, character development, I can't believe how well the relationship developed.
    • 3/5
      This book is well written young adult fiction. It's not sci-fi. It's not particularly gripping or full of surprises. It centers around protagonist Henry coming to terms with the death of a loved one and his struggles through high school. All of the dialogue is snarky. The description for this title is misleading. Not a bad, quick read. It's probably a better paperback for a day of travel, something consumed and almost immediately forgotten.
    • 4/5
      “Grief is an ocean, and guilt the undertow that pulls me beneath the waves and drowns me.”

      It seems I keep picking up books about grief. I don't know if that is because it's popular, or if I'm just drawn to these books because of my own grief experiences.

      In term of what the book covers, I love it. It talks about grief, it talks about the meaning of life, suicide, love, bullying, sexuality, and choices. I would call it a contemporary novel about mental illness. It's mostly character driven, rather than plot driven - focusing on an internal struggle.

      “If you can't paint yourself honestly, everything else you paint will be a lie too."

      Shaun seems to have taken a relatively average boy, and given him an extraordinary choice. Henry is nihilistic and in great pain, he doesn't see a reason to save the world, or rather, he doesn't see a reason to save himself. This story follows Henry as he navigates a world after the suicide of his boyfriend; he has to struggle with his feelings of guilt, abandonment, and his lack of self-worth.

      I'm reminded of Slaugherhouse-5, with how the alien abductions shape the story, and how the abductions act as a allegory. To me, the abductions in this book are a way of showing Henry's struggle with the loss of his boyfriend. So if you've enjoy one of these books, I would recommend the other.

      “Dreams are hopeful because they exist as pure possibility. Unlike memories, which are fossils, long dead and buried deep.”

      So much of this story is about finding value in life. The crux of this story is Henry coming to realise that he isn't the only thing that matters - that the lives of other's around him deserve their own chance to be fulfilled. So I also believe this is a coming-of-age story, where Henry, in his grief, only sees his own pain, but as he grows he become aware of everything around him.

      “I've led a rich life, Henry, but I'm terrified of dying a pauper.”

      Henry's Nana is losing her memories as she ages, and this line just hit me right in the heart.

      In terms of criticism, I did find it felt a little fake at times. That it was hard to believe that Henry was feeling all this guilt and shame. I'm not sure why exactly, I think it may have been because Shaun does a lot of 'telling' and not enough 'showing'. So these painful emotions didn't always come across with an impact. So it lost a star for me, because what I believe should have been stronger, feel down due to weak writing. I don't know if this is because the author is writing without the experience, or just unable to get it across in a YA novel. As someone who has been in a similar position to the character, I believe that a person could think and feel this way, it just came across very two-dimensional sometimes.

      Another small thing that I didn't like what how he renamed Facebook, as Snowflake. I just, found this so patronizing from the author. "Oh everyone with a social media page thinks they're a special snowflake~" Give me a break!
    • 4/5
      Compelling lgbtq sci-fi teen drama! Wish there were more alien scenes.
    • 5/5
      This book intrigued me with its nihilistic perception of life but kept me with its titular main character in a universe not unlike our own. With so many questions, and not many answers, we don’t even find out if the aliens are real, we don’t find out if the world ends. We just keep marching on.
    • 1/5
      Why Choose a person with a lisp to read the audio book? Super annoying!
    • 3/5
      Trigger Warnings: Depression, Suicide, Bullying, Attempted sexual assault, Abuse, Death

      We Are the Ants is about Henry Denton who has been abducted by aliens on and off again for the past few years. Recently though, they finally communicated with him that the world is ending in 144 days. And all he has to do is press a button to save it. The problem? Henry doesn't know if he wants to.

      I honestly don't know how I feel about this novel. On one hand, it had beautiful dialogues and quotes that I often wrote down to remember. But on the other, it felt dry and I couldn't connect with Henry as a character. Hutchinson portrayed a realistic way of grieving and self-blaming but Henry's personality I think just turned me away. I know he's grieving, but his selflessness and absorption is just too much. His reasonings behind why he wouldn't/didn't want to push the button were ridiculously melodramatic.

      It also didn't feel Sci-Fi for me either. Yes, the aliens were involved, but in all honesty, I sometimes thought they were still something Henry made up to deal with his emotions. It's just because of when and how the sluggers (the aliens) would take him. I may be trying to read into it too much, but it was always a thought. Also, I wanted them to be in the story more! I feel like Hutchinson missed out on something there to include.
    • 4/5
      diverse teen science fiction coping with depression/suicide/mental health (main character is incidentally gay; his love interest is pansexual).
      The characters felt very real and realistically tragic; this deals a lot with the loss of m.c.'s previous boyfriend who had unexpectedly committed suicide (he had suffered from severe depression due to chemical imbalances in his brain, rather than due to any external circumstances), but it also deals with the main characters milder depression in his unwillingness to save the world from imminent doom by the simple push of a button on his abductors' alien ship.
      Not a feel-good story by any means, but a compelling read.

      parental note: there is language, sexual situations and assault.
    • 4/5
      I started this one on audio and then finished it in print. I needed to know how it ended faster than someone else could read it to me.

      Henry has been abducted by aliens even so often and for several years, now. His dad left the family when Henry was younger. His boyfriend committed suicide last year. He is currently being used by the most popular boy school, who leads the bullying when they aren't hooking up. No wonder Henry isn't too interested in saving the world, when given the means to do so by the aliens who abduct him. But this is not an alien story. It's a story of resilience, grief, friendship, family, discovery, and acceptance. I was awed by this story. Read it.
    • 5/5
      A more relatable Holden Caulfield, dealing with some of the everyday pressures of life as a teenager, your mileage may vary.I appreciate how this book normalizes LGBT life, and shows the pressures and difficulties still present--even if no one is a particular problem with "gayness" I think too many of the stories have just been about the difficulties of "coming out" and fail to go into depth about the struggles people face just living their lives.Being gay doesn't mean you can't deal with larger problems, like alien abduction, or mental anguish, or romantic confusion and struggles, relationships are hard either way, it just adds another layer to it.It's funny that it largely boils down to the question: when everything sucks and you're given a choice--do you save the world?
    • 5/5
      Very good book.
    • 5/5
      You know that satisfied feeling you have after reading a book that just pulled you right in? That was me when I finished reading We are the Ants. There were so many moments where the situation, or the author's way with words just pulled me in and held me close. I'm not a teenage boy, being raised by a single mom. My boyfriend didn't commit suicide. I'm not having a rough time at school. My brother and his girlfriend aren't expecting a baby. My grandmother isn't losing her memories. I'm not periodically being abducted by aliens. It's not up to me to save the world. But dammit-- I was right there with Henry, every step of the way. And lest you think I'm kidding about the way I got sucked into the words on the page, try this one on for size: "Dreams are hopeful because they exist as pure possibility. Unlike memories, which are fossils, long dead and buried deep."I'm definitely going to look for more by this author.
    • 4/5
      In the manner of The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Henry Denton is a self-absorbed gay teenager. He is grieving the suicide of his boyfriend Jesse and on the edge of a breakdown. He believes aliens abduct him and do experiments on him. He also believes the aliens have given him the power to save the world from imminent destruction. Henry is also being pursued by another boy who alternately bullies him and pursues him romantically. There are also crises going on in his family: grandma has dementia and his brother's girlfriend is pregnant. His mother is trying to hold everything together, and his father has been absent since his childhood. It seems that everything that could go wrong in his life is going wrong. I had sympathy for this character, yet I thought he was whiny and self-absorbed, maybe just a typical teenager with too much on his plate. He meets a new boy who offers him friendship and more, but he is too broken by grief to appreciate this chance. Unfortunately, the story is wound up a little too quickly--we get plenty of time to absorb the situation leading to his crisis, but then the crisis seems to be resolved too quickly. Overall it was promising but ultimately didn't quite live up to its promise. Comments on the audiobook: the main character, Henry Denton sounds believable and even has a slight lisp. When the voice actor shifts to portraying his friend Diego, the voice goes an octave lower and the affect is very flat. Actually he sounds like a rather tedious adult, so that voice doesn't work for me.
    • 5/5
      This book was not at all what I expected it to be, and it broke my heart in the most beautiful ways. There were times where I had to stop reading and take a breather because it was too sad. It's not sad in that there's an overflow of emotion dripping off of every word; rather the prose is heavy, and you know long before our protagonist does that he is definitely not okay. You won't be sobbing on every page, and maybe you won't shed a tear at all. It's not that kind of sad. What makes this book so sad is how real it feels.

      It's funny how a book about aliens can feel so real.

      I love how the book was filled with unanswered questions, and these questions really don't need to be answered. It adds to the beauty of the text, in my humble opinion.

      At times, this book is hard to read, because just when everything seems to be going right, it all comes crashing down. And oh, how you want everything to go right! It's unfair, and it's bitter, but it's beautiful, and it's life. The character development through the course of the book is outstanding, and it's worth reading just for that.

      Above all, I want to stress that this book holds hope. Despite everything, there's still hope. And that, I think, is breathtaking.
    • 5/5
      Since he was 13, Henry had been repeatedly being abducted by aliens. Now, he is distraught after his boyfriend's suicide. His brother's girlfriend is pregnant and his mother works hard to support them. Bullied at school, he feels abandoned by his friends, until a new guy moves to town and befriends him.