Late 19th and early 20th century science fiction writers were fascinated with the wild and relatively unknown regions of the world from which they imagined all manner of invaders from insects to lizards, even giant apes.

H.G. Wells was a master of using out irrational fears of the unknown to craft masterful stories that still resonate today. In today’s story, the true tales of giant Amazonian ants is magnified into a tale much like a terrestrial “War of the Worlds.”

Herbert George Wells was one of the preeminent science fiction writers of his day and his tales, including this one, have been the basis of dozens of movies. 1977’s “Empire of the Ants,” very loosely based on the short story, has the distinction of being one of the very worst.