Rating: 4/5 stars
The 48 Laws of Power is what you get when you stir Machiavelli's ‘The Price’ ,Sun Tzu's ‘The Art of War’ , Musashi’s ‘The Book of Five Rings’, Clausewitz' ‘On War’, Garcian's ‘The Art of Worldly Wisdom’ & other similar works in a melting pot. It deals with the principles that one should adhere to in order to acquire or hold onto power. The most fascinating aspect of the book is Robert Greene's wide knowledge of history & human psychology. His way of presenting a law by judgment, transgression, observance, interptetation, keys to power & reversal organizes his writing & makes it easier for the reader to grasp the concept of the given law from all angles. Then he also adds valuable information as side notes in the form of fables, maxims and some great works from different cultures.
Some people go too far to brand Greene as a modern Machiaveli. He has borrowed a lot from Machiavelli but one major difference between their magna opera is that while Machiavelli wrote his book as a manual for the princes, Greene has targeted a much wider audience because power is no longer an exclusive domain of 'the princes' alone.
One flaw, however, seems to be that he has over-generalized the things by linking almost every human action to the acquisition of power. He has also heavily relied upon historical evidence to back his laws and in such cases there is always some possibility of the selective usuage of historical narrative to further one's argument.
On the whole, I had a good time expIoring some new ideas. It is a lengthy read but I found it to be well written and engaging.
Rating: 4/5 stars
For Robert Greene, life is a continuous struggle; it is nothing short of a perpetual war. In his ‘The 33 Startegies of War’, he has drawn an interesting portrayal of the way the rules of warfare can be put to application in our relationships, work place & other spheres of daily life.
As in his ‘The 48 Laws of Power’, the author has relied heavily upon historical narrative. However, it is 'less Machiavellian' than his previous work. The book is littered with sparkling pearls of practical wisdom from cultures all over the world. With a brilliant interpretation of historical events, Greene takes the reader inside the heads of some of the best strategists who ever lived.
I would recommend this book to those who are interested in war; history; lives of war heroes; ruthless yet successful businessmen and politicians. It may also be used as a self-help book by pragmatists who want to improve their lot through utilitarian & tangible means rather than falling for absurdly spiritual self-help stuff.
Rating: 5/5 stars
Mastery entails the evolution of Robert Greene as a thinker and a writer. In my view, it the most positive work from the said author.
For Greene, the motive behind human endeavors remains the same, which is attaining power. However, here he opines that the means to achieve power are not deceit, treachery or self serving and narrow minded attitude, rather power is acquired by becoming a master in your field. Mastery, in turn, is gained through laborious efforts and by following in the footsteps of other masters from past & present. The special emphasis on apprenticeship phase on road to mastery is commendable. He has also laid much stress on the 10,000 hours rule, in fact he has has gone further by introducing the 20,000 hours rule.
He has also narrated the lives of some great masters as role models for those who aim to climb the ladder of mastery. In short, this is a well written, productive and practical self-help guide by Robert Greene.
