Amazon.com.au:Customer reviews: 48 Laws of Power

Top positive review

Essential reading if you are dealing with difficult people

Reviewed in Australia on 10 September 2019

I know a lot of the reviews found this book quite confronting but for me, it was life changing.

If you are dealing with very manipulative or difficult people as I am, the book is useful in strategy in how to side step the worst of their behaviour or schemes which target you. It is particularly useful if you operate in some kind of modern “court” or community where your enemy also operates such as a workplace, church or other shared community. Importantly the book allowed me to stop feeling guilty about taking common sense self protective measures.

Also there is useful advice for people meeting others for the first time. Humans really are “foreign countries” as the author puts it and that’s why you should take your time to study them carefully before rushing into a committed relationship which is hard to get out of later on.

8 people found this helpful

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Jayden

Nothing

Reviewed in Australia on 16 November 2020

Absolutely garbage waste

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From Australia

Jayden

Nothing

Reviewed in Australia on 16 November 2020

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Absolutely garbage waste

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Don’t rate this book at all

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 13 March 2019

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I just bought this book and in the opening pages your told to basically obey your master” referring to work bosses in a modern term. I disagree completely in the context it’s written, you want to dumb down your shine so your master can outshine you. Is one lesson this book includes, if you really are submitting to someone else’s opinion, you lose fullstop, in doing so you give up the one thing you own in this world, that’s yourself. Staying authentic and shining should be the key to life and your “master” should want to see you shine more than them.

214 people found this helpful

Jean-Luc Mauricette

Nothing more than a guide to manipulation and using others for your own personal gain.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 27 February 2020

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After reading parts of this book, it appears the author has several sociopathic tendencies. These aren't 'laws of power' but more so ways to manipulate, use others and abuse your position of trust/power where possible. If that's what you're after then sure, it's a great read but I couldn't enjoy such an unethical book.

74 people found this helpful

Niklas Lohmann

Menschlich Katastrophal

Reviewed in Germany on 21 March 2021

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Also dieses Buch ist für alle Menschen mit Empathiegefühl nicht geeignet. Ich fand es teilweise verstörend wie in diesem Buch einem dazu geraten wird seine Mitmenschen auszunutzen und runterzumachen. Eventuell ist es sinnvoll das Buch zum Schutz zu kaufen, für Menschen die nicht wissen wie Ihnen geschieht wenn jemand versucht diese "Tricks" anzuwenden.

65 people found this helpful

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Ludovician

A Book of Evil

Reviewed in the United States on 21 December 2019

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This book takes the worst parts of the human mind and drags them down into the abyss. And then thrives there. When you open this book, it's akin to stepping at the edge of the cavern. You don't notice how its stalactite-filled ceiling echo the horrors and the gore and the piss and the vomit of others that came before. Its passages are full of the bodies of good men and women who were caught by the beasts that live there. You know you should turn back after seeing the first mangled corpse, but you're enthralled by the journey. It may come off as exciting. "What harm can it do?" you might think. "There's treasure at the end," you might think.

Then you see the first demon of forty-eight. It doesn't do anything. It stands, however, at the centre of the first level. It stares at you, its black eyes full of emptyness. You may grow scared. And you'd be right to. Or, like a fool, you will approach this horned burnt skin creature. It stands tall and appears almost as if it were a part of the cavern itself. Its transparent nature, made to lure you into thinking it does not exist, makes it even more dangerous. And when you are well within its reach, it seizes you with its mighty clawed hand and eats you whole. But something strange happens. You don't die. You fall. And you fall far.

When you finally come to, your body, full of pain, and soreness, and that horrible feeling of nausea explodes inside you. As if a piece of your soul was eaten away. It takes you a while before you realise that you are now deeper into the abyss. There's less light. But you still hear some of the comforts of nature. The rushing water into the bodies of aqua. The sound of drops from the stalactites. The distant birds chirping. You would think that what you saw was some illusion. That you slipped and fell. Or that some other thing occurred. A bad lunch; a meal that made you ill. If you were smart, you'd turn around and go home. But most people aren't smart. They keep going.

You hear a fox's cry suddenly. You can't believe your ears. A fox? Here? And you follow the sound. When you arrive to where the fox sits, its back to you. You might say, "Oh you poor creature. Are you lost? Do you need any help getting out?" Then it turns. It's not a fox. It's not....an animal in the normal sense. The world around you suddenly grows colder and darker. You may take a step back. But the fox, with red eyes, eyes that are bleeding and putrid and full of maggots, follows you. It's screeching. Loudly. And you cover your ears. But that doesn't help. And when the fox reaches up to you, it lunges at you. And eats its way into your heart. And you black out. When you awaken, the cavern is different. As if you were moved elsewhere. The walls are growing a faint red. Your chest feels like it's on fire. And you can't feel your arm. But it slowly begins to regain its feeling. Then you puke out blackness. It's not a puke like anything you've seen. The human body isn't made to expel something like this. Something is clearly wrong. That was the second demon. You might panic and run. Or you might not. If you were smart, you'd turn around and go home. But most people aren't smart. They keep going.

You rub your head, then your arm. You get up to your feet and look around. Things seem hazy. Much darker than before. You're confused. You don't know what you saw. You look around. Maybe try and find a way out. Suddenly you see a light at the end. You decide to follow it. And you spot an old man sitting on a small mound. He had a long flowing white beard, a grand white gown with the names of holy people written and he wore a crown. Much rather, he wore seven crowns made of gold, silver and copper, and each crown was full of diamonds of various colours and shapes. His eyes were gentle. And smiled, like a father does to his child. His presence gave off something warm about it.

"Who are you?" You might ask.

"I am the last of all that is good. Turn ye back and never return. Ere thou too shalt be consumed," the mysterious fellow said, in a loud and booming voice. You might think the old man mad, others might think the old man illogical, and finally others might say that he's ignorant or outdated or that he can't understand the intricacies of the new world, the modern world. He is a relic of the past, with all those pesky morals and traditions. We can't have morals or traditions in the future.

If you heed the advice, you may yet be saved. If you don't, then your soul will slowly be consumed. Until you too are no different than the demons you should rightfully fear. Even if you were not a religious person, it would be obvious to see how unethical this book is. You will become a spawn of evil. And no amount of prayer and church-going will ever be enough. Because you have been done the unforgiveable knowingly.

If you wish to learn how to use power for good, then I would recommend Aquinas's De Regno, Vincent of Beauvais's The Education of Noble Children, Cicero's De Officiis, Seneca's De Clementia, and the King's Mirror by anonymous. There are many more on the observation of power and its use in business, but these work. And you don't need to be underhanded in order to do so. The best businessman is the one who can keep his soul intact, and thinks of the good of others. Not himself.

708 people found this helpful

Londonontario

Meh

Reviewed in Canada on 14 February 2019

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Basically just a book on how to manipulate people, not my thing. If you’re cut throat and don’t care about karma this book will probably be up your alley

88 people found this helpful

Daisy Buller

Power as in manipulation

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 14 June 2021

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I don’t know what I expected , but when I heard about this book and people saying that it was life changing I wanted to give it a read. But there couldn’t be a more paranoid, selfish, horrible way to live. All people are not out to get you, not all your friends are spying on you. But this book using phrases such as “chose your victim” and “create a cult like following” are red flags. I can’t believe I spent money on this

6 people found this helpful

Emmanuel

Disappointing

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 31 October 2021

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This is my second book from Robert Green and I am very disapointed.
This book is a well marketed product. First the title attracts attention and want the customer to know more. Second, the book pretend to give you lessons learnt from prestigious historical figures - how good for the readers ego.

Can a lesson based on a last century leader (King, Queen, Emperor, army General...) be useful to an everyday 21st century person? Maybe yes (to some extend). Are there better example we (normal modern people) can learn from? Surely!

My advise: read "The concise laws of human nature", it is much more useful and effective.

3 people found this helpful

JPB

Don't waste your money

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 16 July 2019

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This book epitomises all that is wrong with society and greed driven individuals/corporations...nothing is worth knowing/reading is this book. The cover is appealing though...

12 people found this helpful

C. Mckeown

Hmmm...

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 8 January 2021

Verified Purchase

This book basically copies everything from ‘How to Use Your Enemies’ by Baltasar Gracián.
The latter was written in the 17th century so I’m guessing (fortunately for Greene) that it doesn’t come under copyright law...

6 people found this helpful

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