Terry Pratchett (author of the Discworld series of fantasy books) stated that he "can't imagine a funnier terrorists' handbook."

[1] The title of Wasp comes from the idea that the main character's actions and central purpose mimic that particular insect; just as something as small as a wasp can terrorise a much larger creature in control of a car to the point of causing a crash and killing the occupants, so the defeat of an enemy may be wrought via psychological and guerrilla warfare by a small, but deadly, antagonist in their midst.

The novel begins by introducing James Mowry as he is being recruited by the Terran government to infiltrate enemy lines; to become a "wasp", in the sense portrayed in the opening passages of the novel.

Mowry begins the second phase: sending letters to people of importance informing them of deaths by a mythical rebel organisation named Dirac Angestun Gesept (Sirian Freedom Party).

Mowry moves on to phase three, the hiring of Sirian civilians as contract killers to assassinate prominent members of the Kaitempi and other government officials.

With a Terran invasion imminent, Mowry is told to skip to phase nine, the sabotaging of Jaimecan sea-borne commerce to divert Sirian concern from the real – and approaching – threat.

An example of this humour is found in the protagonist's letter to the Sirian Central Bureau of Records in which he mockingly registers the rebel organisation Dirac Angestun Gesept as a legitimate organisation: Title of organization: Dirac Angestun Gesept.Purpose of organization: Destruction of present government and termination of war against Terra.Customary meeting place: Wherever Kaitempi can't find us.Names and address of elected officers: You'll find out when it's too late.Attach hereto complete list of members: Nar.The novel has also been praised for its gritty realism.

As Rupert Neethling of infinity plus states, "One has to wonder whether Eric Frank Russell applied firsthand knowledge of espionage or sabotage when writing his 1957 classic, Wasp.

"[4] Dave Langford reviewed Wasp for White Dwarf #76 and stated that "Fast and funny - but less so than Granada's definitive editions, which like Dobson's hardback gained much from Russell's later (1958) revisions".