Bernard Werber

Bernard Werber is a French author, famous for his novel Les fourmis (The Ants). His works include many novels, a play and one movie.

Works written by Bernard Werber include:

The books which compose The Ants cycle:

Les Fourmis (The Ants), 1991
Le Jour des Fourmis (The Day of the Ants), 1992
La Révolution des Fourmis (The Revolution of the Ants), 1996
Le Livre Secret des Fourmis (The Secret Book of the Ants)

The books which compose The Science Adventurers cycle:

Le Père de nos Pères (The Father of our Fathers), 1998
L’Ultime Secret (The Ultimate Secret), 2001
Le Rire du Cyclope (The Laughter of the Cyclops), 2010
Pentalogie du Ciel (The Pentalogy of the Sky)

The books which compose The Angels cycle:

Les Thanatonautes (The Thanatonauts), 1994
L’Empire des Anges (The Empire of the Angels), 2000

The books which compose The Gods cycle:

Nous, les Dieux (Us, Gods), 2004
Le Souffle des Dieux (The Breath of the Gods), 2005
Le Mystère des Dieux (The Mystery of the Gods), 2007

Other books:

Le Livre du Voyage (The Book of Travel), 1997
L’Encyclopédie du savoir Relatif et Absolu (The Encyclopedia of Relative and Absolute Knowledge), 2000
L’Arbre des Possibles (short stories), 2002
Nos Amis les Humains (play), 2003
Nos Amis les Terriens (Our Friends, the Earthlings)
Le Papillon des Étoiles (The Butterfly of the Stars)
Paradis sur Mesure (short stories)
Le Miroir de Cassandre (The Mirror of Cassandra)

Film:

Nos Amis les Terriens (Our Friends, the Earthlings)

Bernard Werber provides examples of the following tropes:

Action Girl : Mata Hari, Marilyn Monroe, Amanda
Action Mom : Rose
Atlantis : L’Île de la Tranquillité (the Island of Tranquillity).
Author Catchphrase : “Toi et moi contre les imbéciles!” (could be translated as "You and me against the morons !")
Author Tract : Michael Pinson votes white, in order to show that he agrees with democracy but not with the candidates.
Badass Bookworm Edmond Wells, Michael Pinson, Raoul Razorbak.
Be Careful What You Wish For: If your angel can't be there when you make a wish, you are parasited by a lost soul who grants your wish, but take something in exchange.
Bi the Way : Zeus.
The Chosen One : Played right, the Educated. Subverted, Michael Pinson, who rather seems to be The Chosen Zero.
Continuity Porn : Especially at the end of the cycle of Gods.
Dan Browned : Bernard Werber uses to present some facts as real, whereas they just are suppositions or even things he imagined.
Deadpan Snarker : Raoul Razorbak.
Did Not Do the Research : Many errors remain in the books, especially about mythology. For example, Egyptian sphinxes aren’t female.
Fainting Seer : Cassandre Katzenberg.
Foreshadowing : The planet Red is imagined by Jacques Nemrod as a child, before being visited by Michael and the others.
Good Parents : Jacques Nemrod parents.
Grass Is Greener:
- Subverted with the main characters of the Pentalogy of the Sky, who keep seeking a better place, even when they are in Heaven or to Aeden.
- Fetnat leaved Africa and emigrate to France.
- Kim moved from Corea to France for this reason.
Intelligence Equals Isolation : Michael Pinson, Jacques Nemrod.
It's All About Me : Venus Sheridan
Leaning on the Fourth Wall / Noticing the Fourth Wall
Meaningful Name
- Wells is a pun on “wells” and is a reference to H.G. Wells and to Orson Welles. The character mentions that in the Angel cycle.
- Michael means Who is like God? , which defines Michael’s quest.
- In French, Amanda reminds almond.
- Cassandre, who is a Seer, obviously.
- Esméralda’s name is a reference to the character of Victor Hugo
- Fetnat Wade’s first name comes from the French abbreviation for “national celebration”, “fête nationale”. His parents, ineducated, thought it was a real French name.
- Orlando Van de Putte’s last name means “from the wells”, but also pronounces like the French words for “wind of whore”.
- Philippe Papadakis likes horses, as says his name (“phil”, love and “hippos”, horses).
- Venus comes from the Roman goddess of beauty, and this character is a top-model. Sheridan is Le Fanu’s first name.
- Véronique Papadakis is a photograph (“vero”, real and “iconos”, image).
Our Angels Are Different : In the Angels’ cycle, guardians angels appear as attorneys-at-law, who defend their clients.
Our Ghosts Are Different : All ghosts are lost souls, who can take the control of a human, especially a medium. They can disappear in the light when they are fought with the Power of Love.
Power of Love : Literally.
Recursive Canon: The Thanatonauts, written by Michael Pinson in... The Thanatonauts.
Recycled in Space Greek Mythology… IN SPACE!
Scenery Porn : Aeden.
Screw the Rules, I Have Money : Chris Petters
Story Within a Story:
- The Rats in L'Empire des Anges
- The Dolphins in Nous, les Dieux