Not a how to guide ..

After the first few laws I wasn't sure what I got myself into .. My first thought was "What kind of person would enjoy listening to this garbage". Then I came back to read the reviews and I found several other people who thought the same thing.

Either way I found myself listening a little bit more. The more I listened the more I found myself enjoying this audiobook.

Why do I say this? Because I don't see this as a "how to guide". I see this as two things 1. A history lesson .. If you dont learn from the past you are bound to repeat it.
2. YES some of these laws are sick and manipulative, but welcome to the real world. There are people that think like this.

Final thought:
The 48 Laws of power is a step by step how to guide, you have to listen between the lines and realize that the world is not all puppy dogs and rainbows. This book shows you how the world is and you can learn from the lessons presented.

139 people found this helpful

Listen at High Speed

The production is high quality, but the guy talks soooo sloooowwwlllllyyyy that you can easily listen to it at 5x speed and understand every word.

As for content, Greene put a LOT of work into this and it really shows. The stories really help lock the laws into your memory.

But there is a ton of stuff in the book that the audiobook leaves out. The way it is organized, it would be impossible not to.

My advice? Get the book as well. You can find it online cheap and it has even more stories and insight to share.

Was the audiobook version worth the money? Yes.

Was it fun to listen to? Yes.

Do I recommend it to you? Only if you want to learn about power in all its gory details. If you're squeamish about the underbelly of wielding power, this is not for you.

65 people found this helpful

How to Be a Villain, Narrated by Severus Snape

What did you love best about The 48 Laws of Power?

There were some practical laws, for good & evil doers

What about Don Leslie’s performance did you like?

He sounded like he would cue evil laughter at any moment

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

How to Be a Villain

Any additional comments?

Pretty good book. Check your motives before reading/listening

64 people found this helpful

We All Have A Lot More Power Than We Realize!

When I first read this book a couple years ago, it was so apropos for were I was in my life as I was going through a career change myself. The book helped me to realize that harboring deep inside of me, was a lot of untapped potential and power that I've yet to utilize. Ever since then, I've made it a point to implement as many of the 48 Laws of Power into my daily life as I possibly can. If nothing else, this book is a great "get off first base and start rounding the bases" book for anyone who feels that their life could use a little bit of a kickstart.

I thought that the author, Robert Greene, kept the book on track, simple, easy to follow and matter of factual. Anyone who's willing to implement even 5 or 10 (you'll quickly find that The Laws naturally flow into each other and build upon each other) of these Laws of Power into their lives, won't be able to help themselves from making better decisions, and taking more control over their lives. Yet, at the same time, living a very fulfilling existence as we all ought to do.

I highly recommend this book as a great reference tool for your "toolbox kit of life"!

49 people found this helpful

Smarmy

The narrator is really smarmy and the whole thing seems to be written and recorded for the misfit adult that is desperate for power. ie.the adult that played too many hours of Dungeons and Dragons as a kid and feels the need to be superior to the world. The narration should have been done straight to be taken seriously at all.

Another downside is that the stories have been abridged and the whole thing comes across as a put on.

Last downside: I went to the author's website to see what his background was. I wish that I went there first. This guy is marketing himself to the hip hop/gangsta rap community. In other words: Desparate people with destructive lives.

48 people found this helpful

Engaging in a Machiavellian Way

Would you listen to The 48 Laws of Power again? Why?

No. I would just peruse the 48 laws. They are listed and easy to review.

What does Don Leslie bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

There is a lot to get through if you read this book conventionally. Listening gives you a fighting chance to get through them all.

If you could give The 48 Laws of Power a new subtitle, what would it be?

Sparknotes for Machiavelli

28 people found this helpful

Very Wise Advice

Everything he suggests hinges on self-control, particularly control of emotions, and since an overwhelming majority of the population is incapable or unwilling to do attain to such discipline, this book is unlikely to become the Machiavellian tool of the 21st century.
Ironically, most of what is suggested in this book can be found in the Bible, old and new testament. Mainly Proverbs and the new testament "fruit of the Spirit."
So if one strips away the devious, even evil intent of what is proposed here, what is left is much the same philosophy that is found in the Bible. Discretion of speech, self-control, show humility when appropriate, boldness when appropriate, not to make enemies with your harsh words, not to hold grudges or live in the past, even meekness is proposed in the book.

28 people found this helpful

I cannot in good conscious listen to this book

I tried sticking with the book as several readers said they were glad they finally did. I simply could not do it and I am returning it ASAP for my credit back. I am a psychologist and I swear this is a training book on how to be a sociopath. I get it that there is evil in the world and there are psychopaths of all degrees, but this book tries to teach all the things that decent human beings strive NOT to be. If one of my kids or grandchildren accidentally heard part of this, I would be saying, "No, no, no, do not listen to this person." This is not how we want to behave in the world." I actually found myself exclaiming out lout, "You have go to be kidding me???!!" Quite a number of times. This book made me feel really horrible while I was listening to it. I do not do audible books to feel badly,

25 people found this helpful

With A Grain of Salt

I want world domination. Sure, don't we all?
Filled with interesting anecdotes, and methods of machiavellian maneuvering, this book is ideal inspiriation for the brooding evil genius or dictator within us. Often contradictory, the contents are still certainly fun.

The narrator does have a tendency towards slow, deliberate speech for unnecessary emphasis, but it's still listenable. The random musical interludes could have been done away with. Otherwise thoroughly entertaining.

21 people found this helpful

Powerful Material but the author has a DarkOutlook

I think the content is great. I love the stories and case studies/historical examples that the author uses. The author likes to use words that suggest that in order to be powerful you must use trickery and deception. Perhaps his view of the world has always been of scarcity which is why his view on these topics feels so dark. I believe that by changing a few words but keeping all the same points there is an abundance based way to view and write this content that speaks to ways that we can achieve our aims without manipulation and create our success without feeling the need to walk all over the people around us to get there.

19 people found this helpful