Rating: 
Summary: Don't heat the player heat the game!!!!!!!!
Review: well what can I say I am going to K.I.S.S if you don't know what that means sorry for you. I love this book if you wanna be a leader, and want to know what it take too be something or to be the person you want to be in life you need this book to start of with, or this can be the only one you need. It's a must have
Rating: 
Summary: Read 'n Heed...
Review: If you are like me, you will buy a soft-cover version of this book, and take great pains to shield the book's name from casual observers... After all, I do not want to be accused of that age-old, narcissistic practice of trying to accumulate power at others' expense!So... This book is about accumulating personal power, but the ends are not about unethical and unscrupulous means. It is a well-written, and interesting guide, backed up by a myriad (some may say plethora) of historical examples, which are, in of themselves, fun to read. Working with people is one of life's most rewarding and challenging activities - this book can help make the process work for you, while giving you a firm foundation for understanding how the other person (may) be manipulating you for his/her own gain. There are also several paradoxical examples relative to friends and enemies. I urge you not to buy the book if you are heavy into technique - there are plenty of other gaseous tomes that serve that purpose, as ill conceived as that may be. Buy this book if you truly want to learn from history's masters. In summary, the book has tons of information, and worth a quick read from start-to-finish. Better yet, it's worth keeping handy for use as a reference when needed. After reading the book, you will recognize those times! With regards to the title... Don't worry about it. I got over it, and actually bought a copy for my boss.
Rating:
Summary: The unfortunate Truth
Review: This book answered exactly what I was after. It showed me how to see through the workings of people all around me. How they manipulate and work to only their own advantage. Many (not all) of the laws are immoral, but who gives a toss hey, thats how the world functions today, and the book is most certainly true in respect of how the proffessionals work, play and politicize. Sad but true...
Rating:
Summary: Helpful, but not the best
Review: The 48 Laws of Power was a very interesting read, helpful to anyone hoping to better understand influence and persuasion, getting people to do what you wish. But while this book helped, it was often contradicting and was more of a history lesson, telling pages of stories instead explaining the laws themselves. I found two books which are more helpful and are very interesting if you're interested in persuasion or influence in general (to understand people and the way they think gives you more power than anything else will). These two books are The Tipping Point and The Psychology Influence of Persuasion. Try either of these books, and you'll be getting more valuable information for your money. Although the 48 Laws of Power is useful information, you'll spend a short time reading about the actual laws and a long time trying to sort out what they're saying.
Rating:
Summary: The Secret Weapon You've Been Told About Your Whole Life
Review: Yes..this book will quite literally turn your life around and show you where you went wrong so many times in your pursuit of all types of power and position. You'll say over and over again..'So THAT'S what I did wrong!' as you read this book. . The author is quite right in calling these immutable laws. By going against these 48 Laws..you would be doing yourself a great disservice. It is quite an eye-opening insight into the true recesses of human nature. No gloss, no pretense..just people's true motivations and how to exploit that to your own ends... You could change your last name to Vader after reading and mastering this fine book...Read it...Learn it...you'll be glad you did
Rating:
Summary: Or, how immoral and tactician you can get in order to succed
Review: Readng the 48 laws of power is like trying to understand the laws of the jungle.The author offers 48 aproaches (some diferent- some smilar) to what we all understand as success. Success not in terms of your own value and attributes, but in a macchiaveli like form. He proposes to apply specific tactics to overthrow your opponent, in order to be the one to end up first in the race named success. The questions are : 1) are his proposals applicable to everyday life? and 2) do they uarrantee success?
The answer to the first question is YES!Although the vast majority of the examples he uses to define and evaluate each law can be found only in history books, the examples, in ther majority, can stand for today's needs.But i am afrad only in terms of understanding a situation. Here we cme to answer (2). I am not sure whether ALL his proposals are applicable to everyday life, mostly because of the ambiguity of certain laws, an the conflicts betwen sme of them. I don;t know whether you could, in the same situation "make others do the work for you, but always take the credit"(law 7) and in the same time "never outshine the master"(law 1 ) . Keeping 48 laws simultaneously could be difficult :)
In any case it is a great reading, and if you are a buisnessman r a statesman-politician, it could also be inspiring.The historical examples are brilliant, and sometimes hillarious!I definitely reccomend it (only if not applied to me!!!)
Rating:
Summary: Forget Beet_Juice1
Review: How can you respect the opinion of someone named "beet_juice1"? Well, you can't. In his review of this amazingly well-written and powerful book, he wrote: "This book is clearly aimed at the slow people at the lower end of the IQ scale." I have bad news for you Mr. Orange Juice: I am a member of the International IQ Society (top 5% of the population) and Mensa (top 2%). Clearly I am not at the lower scale of the IQ scale. I suspect you are though. The "laws" are not random; rather they form a cohesive and interlaced whole. They are not trite either (perhaps, Mr. Carrot Juice, you don't really know the meaning of the word trite). If you want to learn about power, do yourself a favor and buy this book.
Rating: 
Summary: A random collection of bad, poorly told, half-true stories
Review: Apparently the only reason the author chose 48 laws is because it looks good, and the only reason he wrote this book is to make money and condescend to his readers. This book is clearly aimed at the slow people at the lower end of the IQ scale who think they are being smart by reading this book. It has more contradictions in it than the bible. Its "lessons" are either repugnantly trite or entirely arbitrary. If the book could be summed up in one word: random. though if your IQ is below 90 you might feel good reading it. The only reason anyone would ever buy this book is to be entertained by the random stories, though obviously the sources used were not very diverse and his writing style is ugly and repetitive. robert greene's guidance counselor back when he was choosing a career should be fired.
Rating:
Summary: Life changing...
Review: Like many reviewers said before me, this book is an eye opener. Reading it makes you so skeptical of anyone/any idea that at the end, you end up doubting the book itself. The book itself is a demonstration of the theories, Robert Greene practices his law no 30 (make your accomplishments seem effortless) with a laid back attitude and authority to his very well researched oeuvre, it is also a live demo of law no 27 (play on people's need to believe and create a cult-like following). The reason why i didn't give it 5 stars is simply because of the lack of contemporary examples (maybe kissinger is the only one), i would have liked to hear of the likes of Apple's Steve Jobs for theatrical charisma, Madonna for self recreation, or even saddam Hussein for crushing the enemy totally. Don't get me wrong, there is a wide geographical/historical variety, but at the end, one gets fatigued of the feuding among the Chinese dinasties, the fables of La-Fontaine or Talleynard, the French prime minister under napoleon. Still, this is a book that has to be in the library of anyone who would like to understand the world beyond hypocrisy.
Rating:
Summary: Intriguing Food for Thought
Review: I'll start by answering the most pressing question: No, the "48 Laws of Power" are not your magic bullet to global conquest. The book will not let you lie, cheat, and steal your way to the top. That said, it is still very much worth your while to read. What made this book catch my attention is that it does not just give advice, it thoroughly explains and explores each "Law." The bulk of the book comes in the form of anecdotes from the pages of history. These are all fascinating, amusing, and insightful, as well as brief. The stories come to you in bite-size chunks People with aspirations of global conquest will be pleased with how thorough and comprehensive the book is, but that's not the real joy of reading it. You can pick up on any page and start enjoying the book for as much or as little time as you want. People with aspirations of global conquest will be pleased with how thorough and comprehensive the book is. Some of the advice it gives really seems useless unless you happen to be an emperor or know one, but most of it can be applied to daily life in unexpected ways. But the bottom line is that the book should not be read only for its advice. The real joy of the book is in the historical episodes and the classic studies the quotes provide. (The sidebars of the book are absolutely littered with quotes, excerpts, and fables.) If all you're looking for is food for thought, you'll be able to gorge on this book. I found myself constantly remembering people and events in my own life and enjoyed trying to interpret them in the new light the book provided. Is the book cynical and pessimistic? Yes. Is it cutthroat and dishonest? Yes. Was I able to put it down? No.
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