The 48 Laws of Power – A Book Review by Ghengis Khan

Reviewed By Genghis Khan, Lord of the Sky, Conqueror of Kingdoms, Destroyer of Excuses, Reluctant Goodreads Contributor, Protector of the Silk Road

Introduction

The 48 Laws of Power is a bold title. And the authors efforts are respectable. It’s a heavy book and while it won’t kill a man it would slow him down enough for you to steal his wife. If you’re quick. You have to be quick.

As I was saying thick book, respectable effort. Like watching a court jester explain warfare. Charming. Occasionally insightful. A little slippery.

Selected Laws & My Thoughts:

Law 15: Crush your enemy totally.Yes. Good. Start with this one next time. Partial crushing leads to lingering enemies, awkward reunions, and surprise uprisings. Always finish your to-do list with prejudice.

Law 3: Conceal your intentions.I once disguised my invasion as a diplomatic caravan. They offered tea. I accepted. Then I took their empire. Manners matter.

Law 33: Discover each man’s thumbscrew.In my day, we just asked their cousin where they kept their livestock. Works faster.

The author’s laws are clever, their style, elegant. They provide many examples from before my time till today. This is an educational tome. But much of this wisdom smells like palace perfume: intoxicating in small rooms, useless on open battlefields and can sometimes induce emotions.

You teach the art of survival in royal courts, of whispering in powerful ears, of smiling while twisting daggers. Admirable for all of you. But real power?Real power does not whisper. It does not flatter. Real power is being asked to do the first book review for The Dead People Review Books Blog when you don’t know how to read.

Still, I enjoyed your book. It says what is often ignored: power is not given. It is taken. It is seized. And once seized, it must be defended every sunrise.And for those who wish to serve in high offices, or merchants who desire more gold, it is a good read. It is lacking in the practical aspect of power such as effective stalking and stabbing of prey but I understand that is out of fashion since the ‘tech bro’ trend began?Rating: 4.3 out of 5 yurtsAdd horses. Will consider bumping to 4.5

Who Should Buy This Book (According to Genghis Khan):

• Ambitious scribes who sit in open-floor-plan yurts, plotting silent takeovers via calendar invites.
• Warlords-in-training who wield spreadsheets instead of spears — but still aim to
• dominate their territory by Q4.
• Tribe leaders (some call them “managers”) trying to unite squabbling clans with charm, cunning, and well-timed passive aggression.
• Lonely diplomats navigating treacherous kingdoms known as “networking events.”
• Court magicians — also known as consultants — who conjure influence from thin air and bill by the hour.
• Sales raiders who prefer persuasion to pillaging, but still expect tribute before sunset.
• Soft-spoken strategists hiding sharp ambitions beneath polite armor.
• And of course…
• Anyone who looks at the modern world and thinks,“Sure, I don’t have a horse… but I could conquer something.”

Note: Should you purchase the book from the link below, the owners of this humble blog may receive a modest tribute — perhaps a few jiaozi (the paper currency I introduced), or just enough silver to shoe a horse.(Not that we’d spend it wisely. We’d probably buy more books.)

Ready to Begin Your Campaign?

Buy The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene & Joost Elffers Here

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