Tarzan and the Ant Men

In Short

When Tarzan crashes his airplane into an isolated region of the African jungle, he enters a surreal land where human power dynamics are completely inverted. captured by the Alali, a silent tribe of giant women who treat men with brutal contempt, he escapes only to be shrunk to a height of eighteen inches by a mad scientist of Minuni—a hidden realm of warring, miniature societies riding armored antelopes. Imprisoned in an ant-like city-hive, Tarzan must fight for his freedom and help his tiny allies against overwhelming odds before finding a way back to his true size and home.

The Story

The tale opens far from the jungle's heart, where Esteban Miranda—an actor and former imposter of Tarzan—lies chained in a cannibal village. Miranda has descended into madness, thoroughly convinced that he is indeed the Lord of the Jungle.

Meanwhile, the real Tarzan flies a small airplane over an unexplored corner of Africa. The craft crashes into the canopy of an isolated, mountainous forest, rendering him unconscious. He is found by a giant woman of the Alali, a speechless, primitive species where giant females dominate and hunt the smaller, terrified males. Drawn into their harsh society, Tarzan observes their brutal social structure. Rather than submitting, he allies with a young male Alali, crafting bows and arrows to teach the downtrodden males how to fight back and regain their independence.

Seeking a way back to familiar territory, Tarzan wanders into the lands of Minuni, a region populated by pygmies only eighteen inches tall. These miniature people, known as Minunians, live in massive, dome-shaped stone cities resembling giant ant hills. They ride miniature, swift antelopes called diadets and fight with mini-rapiers and bows. Shortly after arriving, Tarzan is caught in a battle between rival city-states, Trohanadalmakus and Veltopismakus. Overwhelmed by sheer numbers—swarmed like a giant attacked by army ants—he is knocked unconscious and taken prisoner by the Veltopismakusians.

In Veltopismakus, the brilliant and ruthless scientist Zoanthrohago uses a shrinking machine on the captured ape-man, reducing Tarzan to the exact height of the Minunians. Stripped of his massive size, Tarzan is placed in the city's dark quarries as a slave alongside Komodoflorensal, a prince of Trohanadalmakus. Despite his reduced stature, Tarzan retains his courage, instincts, and formidable agility. Together with Komodoflorensal and a group of fellow captives, including the brave slave girl Talaskar, Tarzan navigates court intrigue, violent guards, and the erratic passions of the royal family. Princess Janzara, the king's daughter, falls in love with Tarzan, but her obsession turns to rage when he rejects her, leading to a dangerous betrayal.

Through cunning and brute force, Tarzan and his companions stage a daring escape from the subterranean corridors of Veltopismakus. Fleeing into the surrounding forests, they face giant insects, wild beasts, and pursuing enemy troops. Along the way, Janzara realizes her true feelings for Zoanthrohago, and the fugitives form a tight-knit alliance to make it safely back to the city-state of Trohanadalmakus.

After helping his tiny friends secure their city and win their freedom, Tarzan eventually finds a way to reverse the shrinking process. Restored to his normal size and strength, he journeys back to his estate. He arrives just in time to stop Esteban Miranda—who had escaped captivity and traveled to the Greystoke bungalow—from successfully impersonating him and claiming his title and wife. Reunited with Lady Greystoke, the true Lord of the Jungle reclaims his home.

How It Unfolds

The double imposter Esteban Miranda languishes in a cannibal village, driven mad by captivity until he genuinely believes he is Tarzan of the Apes.

Crash in the unknown The real Tarzan crashes his airplane into a dense jungle, where an enormous, speechless Alali woman carries his unconscious body off to her tribal caves.

Reversing the order Facing cannibalistic death among the Alali, Tarzan crafts weapons for a timid male, teaching him archery so the males can finally defy the tyrannical females.

Swarmed by the miniature army Moving onward, Tarzan encounters the eighteen-inch-tall warriors of Minuni, but he is eventually buried under hundreds of charging miniature troops and knocked unconscious.

Shrunk to size Tarzan awakens in Veltopismakus, where the scientist Zoanthrohago uses a mysterious machine to shrink the ape-man down to the tiny size of the local inhabitants.

Subterranean labor Enslaved in the dark quarry tunnels beneath a giant stone dome, Tarzan forms a bond with Prince Komodoflorensal and plans an escape.

Desperate flight Navigating deadly chutes, guards, and the wrath of Princess Janzara, Tarzan and his friends break out of the dome and battle their way through the dangerous forest.

The true lord returns Restored to his original height, Tarzan returns home to expose Esteban Miranda just as the imposter attempts to claim Lady Greystoke as his wife.

The People

• Tarzan of the Apes: The Lord of the Jungle whose airplane crash thrusts him into bizarre, alien societies. Stripped of his legendary size, he relies on his indomitable courage, physical skill, and quick wit to survive and free his companions.
• Esteban Miranda: A former actor who once impersonated Tarzan. Chained in a cannibal village, his mind breaks until he fully believes he is the real ape-man, eventually leading him to Tarzan's home.
• Komodoflorensal: A noble Zertol (prince) of the Minunian city-state of Trohanadalmakus. Imprisoned in the quarries of his enemy, he accepts his fate with noble resignation until Tarzan inspires him to fight for freedom.
• Zoanthrohago: A brilliant, ambitious Veltopismakusian scientist. Heinvents the machine that shrinks Tarzan, hoping to discover a way to enlarge his own people to dominate the region.
• Janzara: The beautiful, spoiled princess of Veltopismakus. Accustomed to having every desire granted, her sudden, intense infatuation with Tarzan turns to violent revenge when he refuses her love.
• Talaskar: A loyal, resilient slave girl in Veltopismakus whose safety Tarzan refuses to abandon during their perilous break for freedom.

In Its Own Voice

"The hideous life of the Alalus was the natural result of the unnatural reversal of sex dominance."

Tarzan observes the silent, terrifying culture of the Alali women, where physical strength has entirely replaced affection between the sexes.

"He realized that in these little people, scarce one-fourth his size, he, the incomparable Tarzan, the Lord of the Jungle, had met his Wellington."

Overwhelmed by a disciplined swarm of tiny, armored warriors, the giant ape-man experiences a rare defeat before being taken prisoner.

"He has not the features of the Zertalacolols... His head is shaped for the storing of knowledge and the functioning of reason."

King Elkomoelhago examines the captured ape-man, realizing he has encountered an entirely unique specimen.

What It's Really About

Beneath its pulp adventure exterior, the story explores themes of dominance, scale, and the essential nature of leadership. By plunging Tarzan into societies where standard power dynamics are completely inverted—first a matriarchy where males are silent slaves, and then a world where he is reduced to a fraction of his size—the narrative tests what truly makes a man a leader. It argues that authority and nobility do not stem merely from physical superiority or brute strength, but from moral courage, adaptability, and loyalty to one's allies. Even at eighteen inches tall, Tarzan remains a force of nature because his character and willpower remain unshrinkable.

Why Read It Today

This novel is an energetic, wildly inventive slice of classic 1920s pulp fiction. Readers who enjoy classic lost-world adventures, swift pacing, and imaginative world-building will find plenty to love in its bizarre settings—from the silent stone-age culture of the Alali to the intricate, ant-like cities and antelope-riding cavaliers of Minuni.

The prose moves with confident, retro energy, though modern readers should be prepared for period attitudes, particularly the era's pseudo-scientific musings on gender roles and societal evolution. The concept of sex dominance among the Alali reflects early 20th-century assumptions, and the dialogue carries the formal, melodramatic flare typical of adventure fiction from that era. Yet, if read as an artifact of its time, the book delivers a remarkably fun, fast-moving spectacle. What stays with you is the sheer creativity of the setting: the visual of an eighteen-inch Tarzan fighting with a miniature rapier inside a cavernous stone dome is an image that lingers long after the final page is turned.