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Mandibles
Fire ants. Even when they're normal sized, they're horrible, wretched insects whose sting causes burning pain. But these ants are far from normal. And the city of Tampa, Florida has become infested with the oversized creatures. From the demented author of GRAVEROBBERS WANTED (NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY) and PRESSURE comes a relentlessly paced novel of insect terror. As the city descends into pure chaos on a hot summer afternoon before the Fourth of July weekend, four groups of survivors must make their way to safety, past thousands of hyper-aggressive ants that can finish you off with just one searing sting. Dustin, an entomologist, may have the secret to what is happening. Unfortunately, he's being held hostage by a pair of psychopathic convenience store robbers who are just as happy to let the city burn. Packed with humor, action, and thrills, MANDIBLES is an over the top, large-scale, carnage-filled, insects-on-a-rampage extravaganza! "No author working today comes close to Jeff Strand's perfect mixture of comedy and terror." -- Cemetery Dance
212 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 1, 2002
77 people are currently reading
412 people want to read
About the author
Jeff Strand
230 books2,221 followersBram Stoker Award-winning author of a bunch of demented books, including PRESSURE, DWELLER, CLOWNS VS. SPIDERS, AUTUMN BLEEDS INTO WINTER, MY PRETTIES, the official novelization of ATTACK OF THE KILLER TOMATOES, and lots of others!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews
October 13, 2014
Unusually huge fire ants terrorize Tampa, Florida. Will anyone survive this plague?
Mandibles is a creature feature by Jeff Strand about large fire ants overrunning Tampa. That's pretty much it. It follows the lives of office works, people in a dentist office, a couple stickup men, and an entomologist during the rampage of the ants.
It might be that I've come to expect home runs at every at-bat from Jeff Strand but this one didn't make me want to sit outside his house and "pretend" to run into him so we could eventually be best friends like a lot of his other books.
I love the premise but the characters didn't really do it for me this time. In my opinion, for a story like this, there needs to be a couple strong central characters to build the story around. Since this one had a death rate per page equivalent to a George R.R. Martin book, there was no one to root for for very long. It seemed like the characters I cared about the least were the ones to make it to the end. Also, I thought the ending was kind of weak and the source of the ants didn't make that much logical sense.
Still, it was a fun read for the most part. People getting stung and eaten by fire ants of unusual size was pretty entertaining and they made a believably frightening enemy. Unstoppable fire ants the size of squirrels (and larger)? No thank you, sir.
Three stars and Strand had to work hard for every one in this outing. I guess I can't be mad at him for not being perfect, though.
Mandibles is a creature feature by Jeff Strand about large fire ants overrunning Tampa. That's pretty much it. It follows the lives of office works, people in a dentist office, a couple stickup men, and an entomologist during the rampage of the ants.
It might be that I've come to expect home runs at every at-bat from Jeff Strand but this one didn't make me want to sit outside his house and "pretend" to run into him so we could eventually be best friends like a lot of his other books.
I love the premise but the characters didn't really do it for me this time. In my opinion, for a story like this, there needs to be a couple strong central characters to build the story around. Since this one had a death rate per page equivalent to a George R.R. Martin book, there was no one to root for for very long. It seemed like the characters I cared about the least were the ones to make it to the end. Also, I thought the ending was kind of weak and the source of the ants didn't make that much logical sense.
Still, it was a fun read for the most part. People getting stung and eaten by fire ants of unusual size was pretty entertaining and they made a believably frightening enemy. Unstoppable fire ants the size of squirrels (and larger)? No thank you, sir.
Three stars and Strand had to work hard for every one in this outing. I guess I can't be mad at him for not being perfect, though.
December 28, 2018
You might be thinking that I am a sucker for anything Jeff Strand...
Well, the man is absolutely brilliant, in my opinion. I did read a few reviews where people complained that it was very disjointed at the beginning, but I actually got it - weaving together so many characters was needed in this story. Yes, it had a bit of a B-movie creature feature feel to it, but I for one enjoyed it. As most people will tell you with this one, it is fast and a lot of fun.
Well, Tampa gets overrun by giant fire ants. Most will die and it might like the beginning of the Apocalypse to some. So throw in an ant expert who will try to save the day, and some characters (good and bad), and you will get a thrill ride that is MANDIBLES.
Okay, a few thoughts on this:
Creature features does not work for everybody, simply because most people find it unbelievable. This story might not scare this people, but it is funny as shit, so it is still worth the read.
I'll be the first to admit that this story did get my heart pumping, so I will make a confession to all: I have a phobia of spiders. I've never had a truly bad experience with one, but it might have something to do with the fact that I was five years old when we were visiting friends of my parents. Their son had rented movies for us - it was the good old days when children were seen and not heard - and I made it all the way through KINGDOM OF THE SPIDERS.
So, the people who know me try to get a nice girly scream from my with fake spiders every now and then. It doesn't work - I will let you in on the secret: I freeze with arachnids. Everything goes cold inside and my brain refuses to connect to my body, so no motion is possible. It might look like I can keep my cool, but for a moment everything constricts, from my sphincter to my sinuses. If only they knew...if you want to make me cry, show me a movie like THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS - the moment they write off a car I'll never be able to afford, the tears flow. And if you want to make me scream like a girl, tear a page out of a book I own. It's instant war, bitches!
So, where was I? Right, spiders scare me. Which means, whenever my eye catches anything in my peripherals which is small and moving, my brain screams SPIDER! before I can have a chance to take a decent look. This, in turn, means that I can scare fairly easily when it comes to insects. And why not? The very idea that something that small can hide from you very easily, and for everyone you kill there will be thousands of relatives who might want to take revenge, especially at night when you are asleep, in the dark...it's a truly scary thought. The numbers alone should be frightening.
And that is why I prefer a creature feature where the creatures are proportionally bigger than is possible - it allows me to remove myself from the situation enough to be able to get through the story without wetting myself.
Want an example? The scariest movie I've seen in my adult life was probably ARACHNOPHOBIA. Why? Because the spiders were to scale, but there was thousands of them to contend with. That scene where Jeff Daniels is trapped in the bathroom and they start coming out of the sink, nearly made me leave the cinema right then.
Of course, it's not the biggest scare I've had in a movie as an adult...no, that honor goes to EIGHT LEGGED FREAKS. Yes, I'm dead serious - the horror comedy starring David Arquette. Allow me a moment to explain...
I rented the video (yes, children, those are the things you got before DVD's) and was lying on my couch, alone at home. Of course, it was not a very long couch, so my feet dangled over the edge, right against the curtain. Even though the movie was a comedy, there were two or three truly frightening moments, and it was during one of those, with my feet shaking to get rid of some of the nervous energy, that something grabbed my foot. Well, had I not been to the bathroom before I started the movie, I would have voided my bladder. It turns out my cat was lying under the curtain, and when it saw movement above, it went into hunting mode. Yes, I screamed, but only after I realized what the situation was and got my voice back. As much as I loved my cat, it did the right thing by running away when I shrieked.
Back to the ants. If there is anything MacGyver taught is in the eighties, it's that you save yourself from fire ants by blowing up the dam wall and drowning them - that was a good episode! But Strand tried to fight them another way. Do you think he will succeed?
For fans of creature features and horror comedy - highly recommended!
Well, the man is absolutely brilliant, in my opinion. I did read a few reviews where people complained that it was very disjointed at the beginning, but I actually got it - weaving together so many characters was needed in this story. Yes, it had a bit of a B-movie creature feature feel to it, but I for one enjoyed it. As most people will tell you with this one, it is fast and a lot of fun.
Well, Tampa gets overrun by giant fire ants. Most will die and it might like the beginning of the Apocalypse to some. So throw in an ant expert who will try to save the day, and some characters (good and bad), and you will get a thrill ride that is MANDIBLES.
Okay, a few thoughts on this:
Creature features does not work for everybody, simply because most people find it unbelievable. This story might not scare this people, but it is funny as shit, so it is still worth the read.
I'll be the first to admit that this story did get my heart pumping, so I will make a confession to all: I have a phobia of spiders. I've never had a truly bad experience with one, but it might have something to do with the fact that I was five years old when we were visiting friends of my parents. Their son had rented movies for us - it was the good old days when children were seen and not heard - and I made it all the way through KINGDOM OF THE SPIDERS.
So, the people who know me try to get a nice girly scream from my with fake spiders every now and then. It doesn't work - I will let you in on the secret: I freeze with arachnids. Everything goes cold inside and my brain refuses to connect to my body, so no motion is possible. It might look like I can keep my cool, but for a moment everything constricts, from my sphincter to my sinuses. If only they knew...if you want to make me cry, show me a movie like THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS - the moment they write off a car I'll never be able to afford, the tears flow. And if you want to make me scream like a girl, tear a page out of a book I own. It's instant war, bitches!
So, where was I? Right, spiders scare me. Which means, whenever my eye catches anything in my peripherals which is small and moving, my brain screams SPIDER! before I can have a chance to take a decent look. This, in turn, means that I can scare fairly easily when it comes to insects. And why not? The very idea that something that small can hide from you very easily, and for everyone you kill there will be thousands of relatives who might want to take revenge, especially at night when you are asleep, in the dark...it's a truly scary thought. The numbers alone should be frightening.
And that is why I prefer a creature feature where the creatures are proportionally bigger than is possible - it allows me to remove myself from the situation enough to be able to get through the story without wetting myself.
Want an example? The scariest movie I've seen in my adult life was probably ARACHNOPHOBIA. Why? Because the spiders were to scale, but there was thousands of them to contend with. That scene where Jeff Daniels is trapped in the bathroom and they start coming out of the sink, nearly made me leave the cinema right then.
Of course, it's not the biggest scare I've had in a movie as an adult...no, that honor goes to EIGHT LEGGED FREAKS. Yes, I'm dead serious - the horror comedy starring David Arquette. Allow me a moment to explain...
I rented the video (yes, children, those are the things you got before DVD's) and was lying on my couch, alone at home. Of course, it was not a very long couch, so my feet dangled over the edge, right against the curtain. Even though the movie was a comedy, there were two or three truly frightening moments, and it was during one of those, with my feet shaking to get rid of some of the nervous energy, that something grabbed my foot. Well, had I not been to the bathroom before I started the movie, I would have voided my bladder. It turns out my cat was lying under the curtain, and when it saw movement above, it went into hunting mode. Yes, I screamed, but only after I realized what the situation was and got my voice back. As much as I loved my cat, it did the right thing by running away when I shrieked.
Back to the ants. If there is anything MacGyver taught is in the eighties, it's that you save yourself from fire ants by blowing up the dam wall and drowning them - that was a good episode! But Strand tried to fight them another way. Do you think he will succeed?
For fans of creature features and horror comedy - highly recommended!
November 4, 2024
It's funny, it's gory, and it doesn't take itself seriously!
I read it fast, like a over the top classic B movie and greatly enjoyed it.
There's definitely more Jeff Strand books in my future.
I read it fast, like a over the top classic B movie and greatly enjoyed it.
There's definitely more Jeff Strand books in my future.
July 17, 2012
Fire ants terrorize Tampa! Seems like a headline you might find in a 50s B-movie and I'm guessing Jeff Strand is a fan. Similar in frenetic pacing to Wolf Hunt, this one gets right into the ant vs. man carnage. Because so many different characters are introduced in the beginning I found it a bit harder to connect to anybody until additional scenes from characters already seen started happening.
Dustin, the entomologist, appears first to be the primary protagonist, but he shares a lot of time with a couple others. Dustin is known as "the ant expert" by my two favorite criminal characters, Hack and Slash. Hack & Slash are pure Jeff Strand mad scientist creations. Few authors compare in the ability to make unlikable characters like these two miscreants (somewhat) likable, or at least enjoyable as a guilty pleasure. In many of Strand's books, you'll find characters who are on the wrong side of the law and the author makes you care about their misadventures.
The body count is high in this one and there is more than a few surprise twists. The humor is a little toned down in favor of some scenes that literally crawl. People you think will live die and people you think will die live, which is another credit to the excellent story telling. I didn't love this like some other Strand books (Dweller, Wolf Hunt, The Sinister Mr. Corpse), but it's a very strong four star read and recommended for those in the mood for a good killer insect read.
Dustin, the entomologist, appears first to be the primary protagonist, but he shares a lot of time with a couple others. Dustin is known as "the ant expert" by my two favorite criminal characters, Hack and Slash. Hack & Slash are pure Jeff Strand mad scientist creations. Few authors compare in the ability to make unlikable characters like these two miscreants (somewhat) likable, or at least enjoyable as a guilty pleasure. In many of Strand's books, you'll find characters who are on the wrong side of the law and the author makes you care about their misadventures.
The body count is high in this one and there is more than a few surprise twists. The humor is a little toned down in favor of some scenes that literally crawl. People you think will live die and people you think will die live, which is another credit to the excellent story telling. I didn't love this like some other Strand books (Dweller, Wolf Hunt, The Sinister Mr. Corpse), but it's a very strong four star read and recommended for those in the mood for a good killer insect read.
July 25, 2015
Fun, fun, fun... it's like being at the drive-in watching a creature feature.
January 11, 2023
And Jeff Strand brings it with a pulpy, B-movie feeling, creature feature! If you're looking for a jaw-dropping (seriously, mine dropped twice while reading), seriously fun, rollercoaster of a story, look no further.
January 10, 2018
Killer Ants
So, this was purchased as a horror book and it does have its share of killing but I was amazed at all the humor in it... laugh out loud humor. The ants are invading and they are vicious. Oh, and by the way, they come in lots of sizes...small, rat size, and big enough to ride. Simply put, I enjoyed this book. What a ride!
So, this was purchased as a horror book and it does have its share of killing but I was amazed at all the humor in it... laugh out loud humor. The ants are invading and they are vicious. Oh, and by the way, they come in lots of sizes...small, rat size, and big enough to ride. Simply put, I enjoyed this book. What a ride!
February 27, 2020
Prior to this novel, I’d only read a couple of short stories from Jeff Strand. I enjoyed both, so when I came across a couple of his books during a recent book haul trip, I had to pick them up. The cover alone for Mandibles made me chuckle. I plucked this one off the shelf recently when I felt like I needed a strong dose of humor with my horror, and I wasn’t disappointed.
The author wastes no time getting to the action in this story, and for that I was grateful. I was immediately pulled in, and quickly gained interest in many of the characters. I will admit, at first I was a bit nervous about the number of characters introduced, as the writing switched back and forth between different storylines. This never turned out to be an issue for me, as Strand did a great job with pacing and eventually weaving all of the characters’ stories together. The characters in this story are vivid and there’s a great mix of personalities along the way. I found myself rooting for some, while feeling a bit of satisfaction as others met their fate.
The ants are gross and over-the-top at times, and it’s perfect. I’m definitely going to have some images of these creatures that linger long after reading this book. It’s creepy and fast-paced, with witty dialogue and a solid plot that keeps the reader engaged along the way. I’ll admit that I wasn’t sure what to expect as far as substance, but this story was well-developed and just an overall fun read.
If you like books that read like a B-rate horror film, with a hearty dose of humor and an entertaining storyline, I’d recommend picking this one up. I’ll definitely be seeking out more of Jeff Strand’s work in the future. When the mood strikes for something a bit lighter, this type of book does the trick.
The author wastes no time getting to the action in this story, and for that I was grateful. I was immediately pulled in, and quickly gained interest in many of the characters. I will admit, at first I was a bit nervous about the number of characters introduced, as the writing switched back and forth between different storylines. This never turned out to be an issue for me, as Strand did a great job with pacing and eventually weaving all of the characters’ stories together. The characters in this story are vivid and there’s a great mix of personalities along the way. I found myself rooting for some, while feeling a bit of satisfaction as others met their fate.
The ants are gross and over-the-top at times, and it’s perfect. I’m definitely going to have some images of these creatures that linger long after reading this book. It’s creepy and fast-paced, with witty dialogue and a solid plot that keeps the reader engaged along the way. I’ll admit that I wasn’t sure what to expect as far as substance, but this story was well-developed and just an overall fun read.
If you like books that read like a B-rate horror film, with a hearty dose of humor and an entertaining storyline, I’d recommend picking this one up. I’ll definitely be seeking out more of Jeff Strand’s work in the future. When the mood strikes for something a bit lighter, this type of book does the trick.
July 7, 2025
My first foray back into Strandsville in about a decade and things are pretty much as I left them.
Quirky characters, fun dialogue, and some crazy shit going down.
The crazy shit in this case largely revolves around some nasty ants that can kill with one bite. And the fact that they seem to be everywhere when they should not be.
Like most tales from Strandsville, Mandibles is fast-paced and takes some wild twists and turns. Strand, unlike most authors, has zero compunction in killing any of his established characters at any given moment, and then following some other character who seemed like they were destined to be ant-fodder just a few short chapters ago.
But this one takes a fair few short cuts, with the number and toxicity of the ants seeming to vary based on what Strand wants to happen. And the ending is all very rushed and makes only the barest lick of sense (since we never get anything more than the smallest glimpse of the villains' perspective).
I've got a heap of Strand to catch up on after my absence of almost ten years, so here's to this just being a small entree for the main meal still to come.
3 Painful Stings for Mandibles.
Quirky characters, fun dialogue, and some crazy shit going down.
The crazy shit in this case largely revolves around some nasty ants that can kill with one bite. And the fact that they seem to be everywhere when they should not be.
Like most tales from Strandsville, Mandibles is fast-paced and takes some wild twists and turns. Strand, unlike most authors, has zero compunction in killing any of his established characters at any given moment, and then following some other character who seemed like they were destined to be ant-fodder just a few short chapters ago.
But this one takes a fair few short cuts, with the number and toxicity of the ants seeming to vary based on what Strand wants to happen. And the ending is all very rushed and makes only the barest lick of sense (since we never get anything more than the smallest glimpse of the villains' perspective).
I've got a heap of Strand to catch up on after my absence of almost ten years, so here's to this just being a small entree for the main meal still to come.
3 Painful Stings for Mandibles.
December 23, 2022
This was an awesome, fun, gory, and gross adventure!!
The ants 🐜 were big and bad, and there may or may not be some vampiric butterflies thrown into the mix (ummm that reject research room sounds like a whole lotta nightmares).
You really can’t go wrong with this book, so buckle in and enjoy the ride.
The ants 🐜 were big and bad, and there may or may not be some vampiric butterflies thrown into the mix (ummm that reject research room sounds like a whole lotta nightmares).
You really can’t go wrong with this book, so buckle in and enjoy the ride.
August 2, 2012
Strand's books might not be the scariest out there but they are always fun. And for creepiness, this one did involve enough ants to provide you with a large degree of it.
Taking a page from the radiation movies and the monster bug movies of the 50s and 60s, Tampa, Florida finds itself overrun with fire ants that measure two inches long. It starts off as a minor enough problem when it is only a few ants. However, their numbers continue to grow into thousands, making the problem much more significant.
Rather than following a small set of characters, the story involves a dozen of characters if not more. This means more people to die from the ants. It pleasantly leaves you never too sure of who is going to make it or who won't. Will Trevor the awkward accountant make it? What about Roberta the dental hygienist? Or Dustin the ant expert who finds himself caught in a convenience store robbery? Anyone and everyone is a possible victim.
The book was a very fun read and should be enjoyed by any Strand fan. Plus by anyone else smart enough to pick up the book and give it a try. Plus it includes the usual Strand sense of humor by more than one character. Comments that give you a big smile. Oh, don't skip over the Introduction; his comments on the characters was awesome!
Taking a page from the radiation movies and the monster bug movies of the 50s and 60s, Tampa, Florida finds itself overrun with fire ants that measure two inches long. It starts off as a minor enough problem when it is only a few ants. However, their numbers continue to grow into thousands, making the problem much more significant.
Rather than following a small set of characters, the story involves a dozen of characters if not more. This means more people to die from the ants. It pleasantly leaves you never too sure of who is going to make it or who won't. Will Trevor the awkward accountant make it? What about Roberta the dental hygienist? Or Dustin the ant expert who finds himself caught in a convenience store robbery? Anyone and everyone is a possible victim.
The book was a very fun read and should be enjoyed by any Strand fan. Plus by anyone else smart enough to pick up the book and give it a try. Plus it includes the usual Strand sense of humor by more than one character. Comments that give you a big smile. Oh, don't skip over the Introduction; his comments on the characters was awesome!
March 7, 2012
I took off a star mainly because the first third of the book was a bit disjointed and ran like a misfiring roadster. It was a bit disconcerting to say the least to be following several story lines only to find out that one of them, for no apparent reason, took place 8 years before the other action in the book. The prologue, although amusing, really didn't relate to the story. It was like a really good movie that suffered from bad editing. It leveled off after that and was smooth and fast to the conclusion, although I could have used a bit more back-story as to how and why anyone wanted to create a large breed of vicious ants in the first place. As with the other books by Strand that I have read, the writing is smooth, the dialogue witty, and the story was compelling--exciting even. I will also say that as soon as I finished this I bought two more Jeff Strand books on Kindle. He is one of those authors that I will read absolutely everything he writes.
September 17, 2012
An enjoyable, if somewhat disjointed, read from Strand. The book comes off as a campy B-movie from the 50's with giant ants attacking Tampa citizens. Well-written and fast paced, the story zooms along and provides plenty of action and gruesome scenes of violence. The beginning of the book is all over the place, with different scenes and characters that don't all take place in the present, which comes across as unnecessarily confusing. In the middle Strand includes a few too many needless scenes of random Tampa residents during the attacks that don't add anything to the main storylines. I wish Strand had streamlined the story a bit to focus on a few main characters instead of juggling so many different characters that you find it hard to really care if any of them live or die. I commend Strand for not being afraid to kill off any character in the story no matter how likeable they may be. Overall a good book but not on the level of, say, Pressure or Benjamin's Parasite.
February 17, 2013
Another good book from Jeff Strand--one of my favorite writers. The story here is great and, after the necessary blood and gore, the plot actually develops into something quite interesting. I know Strand's a great writer, but I was really surprised with how well he strung this story together. I don't know what I expected out of the book before I started it, but the plot was much stronger than I expected, which is a really good thing.
My one complaint is that point of view jumps happen A LOT in this story. It works because more often than not that person's point of view is exterminated by the ants eating them. So even though there are ten or more people who the story centers on, in the end, there's only a couple POVs that actually matter. A lesser writer wouldn't have been able to pull this off, but Strand is extremely gifted.
My one complaint is that point of view jumps happen A LOT in this story. It works because more often than not that person's point of view is exterminated by the ants eating them. So even though there are ten or more people who the story centers on, in the end, there's only a couple POVs that actually matter. A lesser writer wouldn't have been able to pull this off, but Strand is extremely gifted.
February 17, 2011
Read this some years back and really enjoyed it. I've been meaning to read more by Jeff Strand ever since and a thread in Horror Aficionados reminded me of this one. Giant man-eating fire ants invade Tampa. Anyone who has ever stepped barefoot into a hill of them know those little F'ers are mean. It's a nicely done homage to the giant bug movies from the 50's era creature-feature flicks. Only in the movies, you know the hero and his woman will make it through to the end and save the day, right? Well, in Mandibles, all bets are off.
March 6, 2014
Mandibles is exactly what I like about a campy horror. It has giant monsters that chase people down and eat them in horrible ways! In this case, it's a man-made crisis in the form of super huge red ants. Add to that the fun fillers -random victims in their last moments, experienced in a paragraph or less-, the moments of "woah- did he really just off that character?", and the author's trademark dark humor, and you have a spectacular winner in Mandibles.
What else can I say? What more do I need to say? Giant. Ants.
What else can I say? What more do I need to say? Giant. Ants.
August 7, 2014
Giant ants overrun Florida!! Giant stinging ants!! And I mean giant!!
Sometimes you just need some fun in journey life, and I for me this provided fun in bucket loads. This novel is the literary equivalent of all the bad things your not supposed to eat, but that taste oh so very good.
As you can tell I really enjoyed this book, it felt like I gave my mind a break and allowed it to spectacularly veg out. But this is a good thing! The book is all the b movie horror that you can imagine, but was still well written. Highly recommended for those who just want to be entertained.
Sometimes you just need some fun in journey life, and I for me this provided fun in bucket loads. This novel is the literary equivalent of all the bad things your not supposed to eat, but that taste oh so very good.
As you can tell I really enjoyed this book, it felt like I gave my mind a break and allowed it to spectacularly veg out. But this is a good thing! The book is all the b movie horror that you can imagine, but was still well written. Highly recommended for those who just want to be entertained.
December 4, 2016
Mandibles is a non stop, no holds barred thrill ride that is guaranteed to simultaneously make you squirm, laugh, and gag! From the very beginning all the way until the end, action picks up, gaining speed, the gore and gross out factor just keeps going, the laughs roll in, and you simply can't put the book down! This is the epitome of B-movie greatness in literary form. I always have a great time with Jeff Strand, and highly recommend this one!
October 12, 2017
4.5 Stars. So fricken good. Incredibly entertaining creature feature horror romp featuring giant fire ants. Fun plot and excellent well - developed characters. Very fast and very entertaining read. I can't wait to read more Jeff Strand.
July 7, 2013
Incredible fun. Strand has a great sense of humor. One of the fastest, most fun reads I've had all year.
October 3, 2017
Mandibles is like one of those cheesy giant critter movies from the 70's and it is set in my home town!!
July 28, 2024
Omg nobody gets spared in this one hahaha. It's pure action, no explanations or science needed.
January 12, 2023
Creepy story. Never liked bugs, now I hate them even more. Hopefully, I wont get to see anything like in the story.
October 21, 2025
"Mandibles" is a lean and mean novel, which is darkly humorous in the best ways. My biggest qualm with this was the length, as I wanted it to be a bit longer, since the final third of the novel felt a bit rushed. But it was absolutely outrageous, which made for a very, very fun read. This is my first read from Strand, but after reading this, I know it will be far from my last.
December 22, 2025
Enjoy books about insects doing things insects do, but to humans instead of not humans? This'll be right up your alley.
January 13, 2012
The demented mind behind Graverobbers Wanter (No Experience Necessary) and Single White Psychopath Seeks Same is back with an another outrageous blend of the humorous and the horrific. Extremely large and vicious red fire ants (Solenopsis invicta) are on the loose in Tampa, Florida, and those who don't immediately become ant chow must figure out how to stop this attack before the entire city becomes overrun by the creatures. Whether you love ants, hate ants, or have no real opinion of them as long as they're not currently stinging you, you'll love this over-the-top, action-packed, tongue-in-cheek insects-on-the-rampage thriller.
Strand grabs you from the very first chapter and sends you merrily on your way through a story of fire ants out of control in a very large city. He had me wincing in pain, laughing out loud and absently brushing invisible ants off my arms every few minutes throughout the entire book. None of the cast is impervious to the ants or the agonizing death they can cause.
The book is filled with humor right along with the macabre - sometimes I wasn't sure whether I should laugh at the situation or grimace at the gore. Having lived in Sarasota for years and visiting Tampa quite a bit during that time, I could easily visualize the places he describes as the heroes rush to escape the ants and save the day.
At over 500 pages, I assumed the book would bog down in the middle as so many books do that are over 300 - however, this is not the case. The book steamrolls through at such a fast clip that you aren't likely to realize you are halfway through unless something happens to pull your nose up and away from the ereader (or book)...in my case it was having to go to work.
Strand easily delivers on a story that is gaggingly hilarious with such flair that I was disappointed the book ended. Excellent from the get-go, I have no qualms giving this book an A+ and/or five stars depending on how you rank books. :-) It jumped to the second spot behind Wolf Hunt on my Jeff Strand favorites list.
Strand grabs you from the very first chapter and sends you merrily on your way through a story of fire ants out of control in a very large city. He had me wincing in pain, laughing out loud and absently brushing invisible ants off my arms every few minutes throughout the entire book. None of the cast is impervious to the ants or the agonizing death they can cause.
The book is filled with humor right along with the macabre - sometimes I wasn't sure whether I should laugh at the situation or grimace at the gore. Having lived in Sarasota for years and visiting Tampa quite a bit during that time, I could easily visualize the places he describes as the heroes rush to escape the ants and save the day.
At over 500 pages, I assumed the book would bog down in the middle as so many books do that are over 300 - however, this is not the case. The book steamrolls through at such a fast clip that you aren't likely to realize you are halfway through unless something happens to pull your nose up and away from the ereader (or book)...in my case it was having to go to work.
Strand easily delivers on a story that is gaggingly hilarious with such flair that I was disappointed the book ended. Excellent from the get-go, I have no qualms giving this book an A+ and/or five stars depending on how you rank books. :-) It jumped to the second spot behind Wolf Hunt on my Jeff Strand favorites list.
November 26, 2018
Super fun to read
Mandibles was excellent! It was horror mixed with comedy with the perfect ending. The 2 robbers Hack and Slash deserve their own story, I absolutely loved them!
Mandibles was excellent! It was horror mixed with comedy with the perfect ending. The 2 robbers Hack and Slash deserve their own story, I absolutely loved them!
November 26, 2018
If Michael Jackson wrote giant ant books this would be Thriller.
March 25, 2012
Tampa, Florida. Fire ants are a nuisance in the South to begin with, but when two-inch fire ants start showing up all over the place, people get a little freaked out. And with good reason. These not-so-little guys start eating campers, bicyclists, and anyone who gets in their way, and they start getting into office buildings and homes. Then they start getting bigger.
On the scene are various characters including a dentist, his hygienist, secretary, and root canal patient; a couple of data processors, their boss, and his assistant; two psycho killers/convenience store thieves; a family of campers; a mother and her son; and an entomologist who just happens to be a specialist in fire ants...and who's not there by accident.
This book was a lot of fun to read. It was highly entertaining on several levels: it was demented and funny, but the story was great, too. And there was plenty of suspense that kept me reading to find out where the ants came from and how the heck they were going to solve the problem (considering that every couple of pages another character was getting killed, I was very interested to see if there would even be anyone left at the end). The story, albeit ridiculous, was well written. The characters were surprisingly realistic, the dialogue was natural, and it was obvious that the author had a lot of fun writing it.
Anyway, I just can't help but recommend this book. It's great. There is some gore and foul language, but compared to most horror novels, it's pretty light reading. If you like to take a departure from your usual reading materials and escape with something silly (but still well-written), you really can't go wrong with Mandibles.
On the scene are various characters including a dentist, his hygienist, secretary, and root canal patient; a couple of data processors, their boss, and his assistant; two psycho killers/convenience store thieves; a family of campers; a mother and her son; and an entomologist who just happens to be a specialist in fire ants...and who's not there by accident.
This book was a lot of fun to read. It was highly entertaining on several levels: it was demented and funny, but the story was great, too. And there was plenty of suspense that kept me reading to find out where the ants came from and how the heck they were going to solve the problem (considering that every couple of pages another character was getting killed, I was very interested to see if there would even be anyone left at the end). The story, albeit ridiculous, was well written. The characters were surprisingly realistic, the dialogue was natural, and it was obvious that the author had a lot of fun writing it.
Anyway, I just can't help but recommend this book. It's great. There is some gore and foul language, but compared to most horror novels, it's pretty light reading. If you like to take a departure from your usual reading materials and escape with something silly (but still well-written), you really can't go wrong with Mandibles.
November 30, 2011
Jeff Strand is always a reliably fun author. If you are pissed off at the world and want to get some of that anger out and also find yourself in a good mood, read anything by Strand, or at least any of the ones I have rated so far. Mandibles falls very nicely into his category of B-movie/comedy/horror. How can you go wrong with ants attacking and killing people, especially when you have them constantly growing as the book progresses. You also can't go wrong when you create a surprisingly large cast of likeable, or unlikeable, characters for such a short and obviously ridiculous novel. In the beginning, Strand worried me with his creation of a character only to bounce to the next one, but he soon connects them altogether. A couple of my favorites were two thugs calling themselves Hack and Slash. If you have ever read Edward Lee's The Bighead, you may be reminded of Dickie and Balls, but these guys are a bit tamer than those fellas. Like I said, Strand creates characters with what seems like confidence and ease, but he will not hesitate to kill off any or all of those same characters so don't be lulled into a false sense of security by thinking that main characters will still be there in the end. I think that most Jeff Strand fans would like this one at the very least. I really don't know who else might like it because I don't know of any other authors like him. I could maybe be pressed into saying Christopher Moore's fans might get a kick out of it, but who knows. It is definitely worth the read for fans of a good, fun novel as long as you don't take it too seriously.
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