Book excerpt: Young Thorna has a plan to save her colony in Eastern Hymenoptera and its wise, old ruler, Queen En, from an impending attack from tyrannical Emperor Dume and his dangerous allies. Thorna is no ordinary warrior. She is a six-inch-tall brown ant who has, along with neighboring beetles, spiders, and other creatures, evolved into an intelligent being. Author Howie Snider takes readers into the world of Kingdom Atlas, a land once occupied by billions of humans and now overrun by loyal ants, frightening beetles, courageous grasshoppers, peace-loving spiders and other fascinating insects who fight to survive.