Customer Reviews

The 33 Strategies of War

5 star:		(70)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Robert Greene is a prolific research and thinker who has made a habit out of writing masterpieces that explore all nuances of human behavior. In his latest tome he follows the same approach as in his previous bestsellers by leading off each chapter with a quick and easy to read summary that gives you the essence of the strategy and the stories that follow. Then he leads you on one fascinating historical excursion after another that brings each strategy to life through the exploits of some of histories most famous and notorious characters.
The beauty of his approach is that there is something for everyone in this book. You may read about a tactic that is highly amusing, but that you say to yourself, "I could never do that." Then in the next chapter you may say, "That's fits in with my personality. I can do that." That's how I felt about his strategies for laying back and appearing to not care, and about his strategy for taking an unassailable position.
A brief story in chapter 4 on developing a sense of extreme urgency was well worth the cost of the book to me. It talks about Fyodor Dostoevsky and how a change in his perspective on the value of life lead to a greater appreciation for every moment, and to an era of rampant productivity that continued until his death. Because I'm an author I spend a good part of every day writing and thinking about my work. After reading about Dostoevsky I immediately felt an even higher sense of purpose and motivation.
You really can't go wrong with this book. It is very entertaining and educational. Beyond that, you could pick up some sage, time-tested advice for improving both your business and your life. Bravo!

Phil Capelle

Among the other reviews here, there have been some comparisons between this book and the Art of War by Sun Tzu. I'd agree. Both are elegant and detailed instruction manuals on how to prepare yourself for conflict.

Once again, Green brings a tremendous body of research and historical insight to his writing, demonstrating the key points of each chapter through some of the greatest successes and mistakes from history.

But this isn't just a book about war. Greene repeatedly states that many of the strategies and tactics used to harden an individual for conflict (or conflict avoidance) apply equally well to business, politics and negotiation, and the examples come from everywhere from Hollywood to Ancient Rome.

The advantage this book has over the previous two is that his clarification of his strategies is more balanced and consistent. He goes vague less often here.

This book completes nicely Greene's cycle of historical self-improvement books: the first in how to woo others to your way of thinking, the second to deal with power structures, and the third for self-discipline and conflict resolution.

Robert Greene's books are deep and they are for thinkers. If you want a breezy beach read or airplane read, this is not that book.

You'll read this book once, get to the last page and go back to page 1 and start reading again. There are literally hundreds of ideas in this book.

I especially like the way the author has made the book applicable to your life, the business or the battlefield.

As a former soldier, I deeply appreciate the detailed review of war strategies and found the book so compelling, I'm buying copies for all of my friends who are in the military and currently deployed in Afghanistan and Iraq.

If you only read one business or self improvement book this year, read this one. If you read three, read the author's other two books, The 48 Laws of Power and The Art of Seduction.

Having been a previous owner of "48 Laws of Power" and the "Art of Seduction" I was awaiting this foray into the art of warfare... and I have not been disappointed! After receiving this book as a birthday gift, I have not put it down in the last 10 days; managing it a piece at a time, and adding some highlighting to key phrases...

While some may consider the art of war (or even seduction or manipulation of power) to be an evil thing, Mr. Greene's take on the subject seems to be "its out there: learn about it to either use it or defend against it." How true this is. The anectdotes in this book are not just coverage of battlefields and generals - varying in scope from Alfred Hitchcock to Joan Crawford, to Cortez - this book has one for (almost) everyone. And while this may seem like Sun Tzu for the Jet Set, "33 Strategies of War" would find a welcome home on the bookshelf of a four-star general preparing for battle or a stay-at-home mom wanting to match wits with her unruly children...

As "an older professional" I am usually a bit cynical about books of this sort -- usually pretty superficial stuff. Not so with this book. Very well done, few errors, well written and thought provoking. I highly recommend it.

I got a top tier MBA, spent tens of thousands of dollars and two years, but didn't learn the important stuff. (And I was the valedictorian, and got some really great jobs). I really enjoyed Greene's book 42 laws of power (I can't remember if it's 42 or some other number), but this book is a great reminder and educator of the way things work behind the scenes, in people's minds, and at the macro level of every business and political dealing. I'm convinced that there is either a conspiracy in our educational system to make us dumb workerbees, 99% of our teachers just don't get it, or our measurement system for the quality and effectiveness of our eductional system is severely broken. (Or all the above!)

Much of the book rings a bell with my intuition, but there is a great deal which is so inciteful and informative. I would say I couldn't put the book down, but that's not true, I needed to take a rest every chapter or so. I love his mixing of explaning the principals then giving historical examples. The war stories have direct analogies to the business world.

I have also read Greene's "Art of Seduction", which I think is absolutely vile and disgusting. I don't think the book is vile and distigusting, I think the book simply tells the truth. Greene doesn't make the rules, he's just telling how many "successfull" people play the game, which is really just a clear illustration of the part of human nature which is cloaked behind good manners and grooming, and how people take advantage of our good nature, weaknesses, and need for connection and love--all of which applies to both our personal and business world. Better to know it than not know it, and know when to fight fire with fire if you think you can stay true to your principles. Maybe there should be a followup something like "Buddah's dance with Devil"

This book is going on my top shelf.

If you are looking for a comprehensive strategy guidebook for war in the field, at work, in the political realm, and everywhere else, this is it. Do not believe the words of those who have ranked this book low, it is deeper and more flushed out than you can imagine. I own at least 3 copies because i wear it out ;)

I was intrigued by this book. I already own a concise version of the 48 Laws of Power, written by the same author.
However, for some reason I never really got too taken with his previous book, which I shall revisit.
I had a strong suspicion that this book would be essentially a rehash of the aforementioned 48 Laws, but the militaristic subject matter appealed.
Well, I can confirm that this book definitely stands on it's own as an individual work.
In appearance, it is very inviting, beautifully designed with a great cover design and highlighted extracts of text on the borders of most pages drawn largely from classic military writings throughout the ages.
This book has a sinfully charismatic quality about it, like a rich slice of chocolate cake that beckons in the most tempting manner.
However, beyond the design and look of the book, it definitely has meat on the bones.
The mainstream subject matter is how someone could draw on lessons from military history and strategy to employ in everyday life.
There are finely researched stories from throughout the ages that cite various approaches, ploys, plots, victories, defeats, as well as some non-military examples, such as Alfred Hitchcock.
Now I am not entirely sure that this is a self-improvement book as such. It is not exactly the same type of work as Covey's 7 Habits of Effective People, but I find it so much more enjoyable.
I have plenty of time for those who do not push the warm and fluffy approach to life that demands we smile at people in the elevator to spread our positive energy.
Now I'm not advocating an opposite approach or use of the strategies outlined in this book, but my point is that the perspective is ironically refreshing.
The author obviously draws strongly on a familiarity with classical studies to summarise stories of ancient battles and conflicts, as well as such influential figures as Clausewitz, through to more recent conflicts.
Again, I am not quite sure what kind of book this is, as it could not be looked on as a pure work of military history, either.
However, whatever kind of strange animal it is, it is stylish, darkly charismatic and cynical.
If the 48 Laws of Power was a book made to sit on the bookshelves of our wealthy businessman uncle, then the 33 Strategies of War is the kind of book that would be found in the reading room of our Brigadier grandfather, albeit with a modern-day feel to it.
I certainly enjoyed this book and it added to my perspectives on military strategy.
For example, Sun Tzu advocates an approach of always allowing a desperate enemy force a route to escape - or they will fight to the death.
This book spun that perspective, advocating that to create a sense of desperation, urgency and drive in ourselves, that sometimes we should put ourselves on the "death ground", with no exits so that we are forced to rise up and overcome the challenge. Highly motivational.

Being a lover of history I think this is a great read. I enjoyed Greene's 48 Laws of power mainly because of all the historical examples he used. This one was no different in that regard.

However, I would caution anyone who considers this some kind of manual for competition and conflict. When reading some of the illustrations I often got the feeling the people involved were more lucky than calculated.

Also, there are so many things that can not be controlled by one person. It would be foolish to think a person could refer to this book and get detailed direction on what to do in a situation. First off, the person would have to correctly diagnose their situation and know which `law' to apply. Knowing which 'law' to apply in a given situation is not automatic.

For me, it is a great read that provides some mental stimulation. If you love history like I do then check this out. If you are looking for some kind of blueprint to wage 'war' on others you probably have already lost and do not know it.

After reading some first chapters of the book, i really can't put it down. There are soooooo many things to learn from this book. As a young professional, i now have an idea on how to run an organization or a group, that is, you can hone you leadership skill. The book (chapter 2) teaches you how to act, what things to do, avoid to make your group high-spirited, competent, and winner. The price i paid for the book is really worth the lessons you'll gonna learn on leadership. There are so many books out there that are really crap books. They don't present the reality and doesn't expose the true human nature in their books. This book really slammed me on the face on things i did wrong on directing on my subordinates. In addition, if you can interpret Sun-Tzu's art of war correctly, then don't buy this book. Personally, i think it's very dangerous to interpret Sun tzu on your own words. We need guidance to interpret it. For me, this book is the most detailed book to explain sun tzu since there soo-oo many illustrations and interpretations on each principle of war. Buy this and you'll not regret every penny you've paid.