Insightful and inspiring
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This book is a mixture of self help, historical analysis, board room tactics and life coaching. I found it very readable and very applicable to life- no matter what your background is. This is definitely worth a read. The only reasons why it is 4 stars is that i got a bit bored with the historical repetitions as it tries to illustrate aspects of the 48 different laws. Glad i bought this.
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48 laws...
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Very interesting read. To put it simply it is a book with 48 laws on how to obtain power based on historical facts for each law on how people used that specific law to gain power. Take alot of it with a pinch of salt as some laws are set where you would have an army of some sort when going into battle but saying that most of the laws still apply to everyday situations. If you like your history then this will be of interest to you as it uses very famous figures such as Ghengis Khan and Ivan the terrible as examples. It is a classic book and if you are interested in how to obtain power then get this book. The author is intelligent and the layout is easy to understand, very accurate and a good read
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Live by the sword die by the sword
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Law 49, actually Law number 1, is the first rule of Fight Club. Thus we have the true meaning behind "Demonstrate don't explicate". This is a great game and a miserable existence, it is the perfect recipe for making yourself in the image of Col. Cathcart in Catch 22, a "slick, successful, slipshod, unhappy man of thirty-six" . If you are of the "Realist" mindset then this is your template. If you have to work with such people then this is your survival guide. If you have to spend all your time doing these things you are only a wanna be and will get fired, for the one thing that this does not do is get the job done when you are not around. You only have a limited amount of power and that is always defined in terms of others power.
Great book though and a thoroughly enjoyable read, especially if you want to make your life, in the words of Thomas Hobbes, "Solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short".
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Power Games Machiavellian style
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This book is focused predominantly on Machiavellian strategies of power. As such, it is a very interesting read. Each "law of power" is illustrated with sample stories and some of the stories may be too much for the faint of heart - they are utterly ruthless.
Power is so seductive - the effects of it like chasing, fighting for and owning the "one ring that rules them all" from Talkien's "Lord of the Rings". It seems so irresistible, so sweet, but watch out how far you go, because while setting a trap for another, you can find yourself unnoticeably getting caught in it.
There is a saying that the absolute power corrupts. That is not exactly true of the "real" power - but the "real" power is not based on fear, only the perceived power is based on fear and that is what Machiavellian power is based upon. After all his motto was that it is better to be feared than to be loved. And if you invest yourself totally in being feared, one day you just find yourself ending all alone. There is yet another and better way - but that one takes another route. It is based on higher knowledge.
I am glad that Robert Green has added the "reversals" - the way you can find this double edged sword of power stuck in your own back if you're not careful.
This book is a lovely compendium of use and abuse of power with plenty of stories drawn from history. It is nice to be aware of possible consequences when using the laws of power before you become power crazy and find yourself in a ditch. With great power comes great responsibility.
Another reviewer mentioned that there is no "how to" in this book - well, even each heading clearly points out the modus operandi, which is further illustrated through the stories.
And not all the laws in the book are devious, even thought that may seem to be the main flavor of the book. Some of the laws are good common-sense advice as in "avoid free lunch", "plan all the way", "concentrate your forces", "master the art of timing", etc.
As you read this book, I'll just like to mention a story of a man who felt rather shy and powerless and who figured that the best way out for him to feel like somebody would be if he gets other people to be afraid of him. He found a book on mind-power and sat down to practice. It didn't take long, before he was apparently wielding power and people around him felt rather anxious in his presence. Eventually they all began finding excuses for staying away from him and in the end he was all alone - no one wanted him around.
So, when you engage into experimenting with these laws of power, temper them with love and wisdom - else you may not be too happy with your creation. Machiavelli, too, ended up in exhile and all alone.
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A must own business title
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This title makes you pump your fist and feel like Caeser in his prime. An alternate title could be the Devil's Guide to Success. Anyone who has ever felt tired of being manipulated and played by smooth words (and discovering it far too late), will tear through these pages. It is a clear bombshell into analyzing effective influence and deception, via lessons learned from recent to centuries past. Psychological warfare in the business world is a very real thing, and you can either uses the tools to your advantage, or get taken to the cleaners. The choice is yours, and this book will break down every facet in great detail. The author writes with good intentions, and arms you with protecting yourself from being a victim, and selectively using the skills to your advantage.
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