Enemy A[n]t the Gates

Chrysalis #5

by RinoZ

Anthony is free!

And he brought friends back to the Colony in the form of the monstrous bear Sarah, and the devious worm, Jim. But things aren't all going the way of our antrepid antventurer.

Enemies abound, and the Colony has drawn too much attention.

When the Legionem Abyssi, led by Commander Titus, come knocking on his door, will Anthony be able to repel the greatest army beneath the ground?

Through all the struggle, strife, betrayal and sacrifice, our hero must persist, and defend the gate.

Book 5 of the hit monster-evolution LitRPG series with nearly 30 Million views on Royal Road. Grab your copy today!

Genres: Fantasy, Magic, Monsters, Young Adult, Fiction

662 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 31, 2024

Reviews

[Kumo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beyn my beloved

Funniest book yet! Not to say the others weren't funny, this one just had my most favorite gags in it.

And gah! Sarah!!! Jim!!! I won't say anymore on that however The Queen! I love her, love all the characters. The writing is great, the dialogue is so fun to read, and the action? By Gandalf the action is actually AMAZING. I dream of writing like that one day, great stuff! Looking forward to book six!

[Laurel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anthony's come so far since book one where, he hatched, alone and afraid, taking his first feeble steps in the dungeon of Pangera. Anthony, our hero, now has a shiny diamond carapace and multiple brains that have him capable of working out new magical spells at the tip of his blaster. He's much better at keeping himself and his pets and ant family alive and safe from all who are out in the Dungeon and want to wipe out the Monster Ant Colony for simply existing, but they keep coming.

This is a fantastic, YA, Isekai adventure series. It could have been very dark, but RinoZ (and the fabulous narrators at Soundbooth) keep the humor throughout and deliver it well, respectively, and make the characters come alive, even a little void pet.

In this book The Colony is attacked on two fronts, with the Golari (Empire of Stone) and the Human Legion each determined to wipe them out. Anthony and the Colony were busy staying alive. I also enjoy seeing the POV change throughout, giving us a view from all the viewpoints.

I'm waiting for the next book now. "FOR THE COLONY!"

[Bernard · Rating 4 out of 5]

The main character is amazingly annoying

I love this book but I find the main character amazingly annoying with his mindset and actions. I find myself enjoying more the side characters stories then his because he can be so stupid and annoying at times. Either way, it's a good book and I look forward to seeing how they progress. I just hope the main character grows up a little and stops with his foolishness at times.

[Cmoore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anthony's come a long way since that first book when he hatched alone and confused taking his first stumbling steps in the dungeon of Pangera. All the while wondering what the heck. From human to monster in this fantastic Isekai adventure. But look at him now so smart and shiny with a diamond carapace and his multiple brains working out new magical spells that will help him keep his family alive and safe from the humans and other sentient races that only want to wipeout this monster colony destroying his family. Attacked on two fronts the human Legion on one side and Golari the Empire of Stone on the other. Can Anthony and the colony hold out 'til the next monster wave? Get the book to find out!

I love finding quotes that amuse me:

“Just relax a little,” Titus said. “You’re making me nervous, and I’m married to the woman.”

How long until they put an ant on the moon? Neil Antstrong may be just a few generations away!

“PRAISE THE GREAT ONE! PRAISE HIS SHININESS. MAY THE SHADOWS FLEE FROM HIS CARAPACE, AND HIS MANDIBLES PIERCE THE HIDE OF EVIL!”

[Monty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too much stupid, a few mayor inconsistencies combined with a silly lack of deductive reasoning abilities on part of the characters. It makes for an annoyingly eyeroll'ish read.

There is also no progression in the magic system in that the author goes on and on about the MC learning and practicing his magic but he rarely or near on never improves on his spells. For example: Anthony has an area denial "gravity domain" spell which he never takes past the basic spell and it is thus just about useless against any enemy strong enough to ignore the base-spells gravity field. He never modifies said to increase its effect, or for example flipping its function the other way around and lowering gravity in his domains range or even dare I say make it fluctuate wildly.
These are basic common sense things I would think for anyone who thinks about the magic for a single moment. Its made all the worse when considering that the MC has other single target ranged spells that increase and decrease gravity. These faults are so obvious that they break the immersion into the world-reality/building.

[Janine · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are some many moving parts in this book and I absolutely am unhappy with that ending! All that info and now we must wait. But I'm interested in how the colony will choose to move forward if Granin gives them some information on evolutionary possibilities. Even if they don't and Anthiny does they could do so much with his information and rather quickly. I absolutely loved The Immortals! In search of a glorious death! The armor that was created for them too! Just so funny and great. I thought it was also really cool that they used the Abbisal (I'm listening to this series so I'm sure of spelling) armor they got from the Legion to make Tiny his own armor too. I am interested if The Folk and Tree People will continue to offer support for the colony or if it was just to delay the war until the new wave came. I really hope the next book stays here and Anthony doesn't end up doing some side quest to level up for his new evolution.

[Alesay · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.6 stars. Despite the seriousness of the situation, this is a very fun book.

Pros:

• I really enjoyed this book's strong family aspect and the different relationships presented.

• This book was very war-heavy, and it was interesting to see multiple perspectives from different sides. It's not black and white.

• I was surprised by the betrayal. Did he really need to go that far? He's officially an enemy of the colony, and I hope to learn more about his reasoning later.

• The priest is quite amusing, especially from the MC's point of view. He might be one of my favourite characters.

Cons:

• The MC didn't spend much time working on himself. While he did gain quite a few levels, his overall improvement wasn't as much as I would have liked.

[Seweryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jedna z lepszych książek w tej serii do tej pory. Trochę mniejszy nacisk na aspekt RPG, ale wyszło to chyba na dobre. Mam wrażenie, że dużo tych serii zaczyna z ogromnym naciskiem na statystyki, reguły, a im dalej, tym bardziej to odchodzi w tło, a zamiast tego na pierwszy plan wychodzą postacie, świat, fabuła, czyli raczej standardowe dobroci fantastyki.

Aspekt progresji co prawda dalej jest i wciąż jest bardzo wyraźny i to czyni te książki tak angażującymi, ale nie jest już jedynym motorem napędowym

[jack pulford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excell(ant)

Keeps a really good series going and brings us a marvellous story with characters with actual personalities to them, with depth to them as well. Very funny, had me in stitches many points. Love the expansion of the world beneath the surface and those that live there. Genuinely can't wait for the next one to see what Anthony gets up to and how the hive grow and expand it's ideals. Keep up the good work.

[SirTwix · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOOO

I started this series right before book two came out and at first I was like eh it'll kill some time, then I kept reading and reading and before I know it I'm watching and waiting for the next book and this book, 😚 chefs kiss, it was amazing and now I'm sad again that theres not yet more.

[Tom Petersen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ant problems

Anthony and his sisters are in trouble, facing not one but two superior forces.
I can't say enough good things about this series (in my top 5 for sure) and this one is a step above the rest. The dramatic tension is high throughout. There were times when it looked like a total reset was happening. And a true betrayal to boot. Tom out

[David U. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun series

It’s always interesting to read about Anthony and the ant colony. I tried to hold out for the audiobook, but I got impatient (I’m glad I read it though). This series has a very intriguing dungeon system and I quiet like how the author weaves comedic undertones even in serious situations.

A solid 4/5

[Bradley Woodall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great addition. Really tense near the end even if the ending was a bit anticlimactic. There was also a weird plothole where a character seemingly knows a secret out of nowhere when there was no scene actually depicting them learning about it. Even though its a massive secret. I still really enjoyed this series and am glad I read it.

[Joe Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great entry of this fantastic, YA, isekai series starring a reincarnated human as an ant. Anthony has definitely progressed a lot, both in terms of growth and powers. This book was roughly in one location, with the ants first besieging a town and then defending it from a much stronger force. At times the humour borders on being too much, but it is absolutely hilarious.

[William D Butron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting throughout the whole book!

I really enjoyed this story and this book in particular has been a lot of fun. The character development, light hearted comedy, tension and even a couple twists toward the end made it hard to stop reading! I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series. Keep up the good work mighty author of literANTure!

[Adrion Archer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Need more

Man, no matter how big you make the books, I always feel there not long enough. The need for this story cause how great the starting and development has been. But alas I understand, one must be patient to maintain the level of wonders.

[Ty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very entertaining!

I found this story to be very entertaining and well written! The characters and their interactions are believably portrayed. I find myself cheering on characters and getting invested in the outcome. Read this!

[Joshua Harrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

More...MORE!!

This book ended to quickly for me. I need more story, more leveling, MORE ANTS!!.

I can't wait for the 6th book to come out and it's going to be such a lain to have to wait.

[Rudhrein · Rating 4 out of 5]

For the colony! the colony building is excellent , I only wish the main character wasn’t as prominent in the story. Other than the MC being slightly annoying the book is excellent, can’t wait for the next book in the series

[Aubria L. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I forgot to review this book and just noticed that it didn’t get onto my reading challenge, but I have since moved on to several other books and series, but I know that I thoroughly enjoyed this book and series and can’t wait for the next one!

[Jonathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

fun

Okay, I binge listened to books 2-5 so the edges blurred together for me. Anthony expanded his nest gained power, defeated bad guys, evolved, got kidnapped, grew some more and is generally a powerhouse.
Very funny and enjoyable. Great pace. Excellent narrator. Please enjoy

[Kasia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anthony the best!

[M L Brooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Getting serious

Despite the continued humour the story has started to get serious! Will Anthony survive what's coming? Guess we'll see in the next book.

[Robert L. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good book

This is a fine fantasy adventure novel. It is well written and edited. I especially like the shadow glob. I anxiously await the sequel.

[IU_read · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had been waiting for this book for a long time!
The story is refreshing and i really love the humor. Looking forward to the next book.

[Mike Goodman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely Amazing

This story of a young man who becomes an ant monster in a dungeon is an Outstanding fascinating fantastic read that I really enjoyed.

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Starts off slow, not enough reintroduction

Starts off slow, not enough reintroduction, but you get back into full speed after a third of a half of the book.

[John Michael Bird · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing! Couldn't put it down.

I kept looking at the percentage finished as I read. I didn't want it to end! I can't wait for book 6!!!

[Wesley DeRoux · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very fun!!!

Great enjoyable read. The tale is not too heavy, and the humor fits well with the tone of the story. I highly recommend the series. Looking forward to the next book.

[William Newbury · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good action!

It was an enjoyable read filled with action and enjoyable characters. It was interesting reading the perspectives from both sides.