"A collection of imaginative forays into what, for most readers, will be terra incognita. . . . Insectopedia qualifies as food for thought. . . . As inventive and wide ranging and full of astonishing surprises as the vast insect world itself. Raffles takes us on a delirious journey."
–The New York Times
"Impossible to categorize, wildly stimulating. . . . A disconcerting, fantastical, (multi-)eye-opening journey into another existence."
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The New York Times Book Review "Vivid and fascinating. . . . This book will challenge your view of insects and make you see these wonderful creatures from a new perspective."
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New Scientist "As Raffles shows our nearby neighbors to be at once dangerous and beautiful, common and incomprehensible, he refracts a world that is newly fascinating."
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Audubon Magazine (Editors' Choice)
"[A] big, beautiful testament to the glory of paying attention."
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The Boston Globe "The coolest, most beautifully written book on bugs imaginable."
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San Francisco Chronicle "Sings with scholarship, deft writing, and an authentic fascination with the six-legged creatures that have so long roamed the Earth."
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Seed Magazine "Combines elements of science, history, travel and popular culture to form a sparkling whole, a wide-ranging and idiosyncratic survey of a world we all too often scorn or swat. . . . [Raffles] reminds us of the connections among all creatures, of the unfathomable mysteries that separate us, and of the fragility and resilience of life."
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The Providence Journal "A revelation of the world of our fellow creatures . . . by a writer whose style is equal to his huge and strange task."
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Buffalo News (Editor's Choice)
"Unusual and most engaging."
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The Seattle Times "Provocative. . . .
Insectopedia opens up a can of worms and it's doubtful they can be herded back in."
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Santa Cruz Sentinel "Lucid and often beautifully constructed prose. . . . We can't recommend it highly enough."
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Austin Chronicle "The most readable book ever written about insects."
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The Stranger "Gorgeous, fascinating, and thought-provoking. . . . A stunning, sensitively written, insightful book. . . . Raffles set out to write a book about how people learn something new about themselves through relationships with insects, and he succeeded admirably."
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Bookslut
