48 Laws of Power

By: Robert Greene

Narrated by: Richard Poe

Amoral, cunning, ruthless, and instructive, this piercing work distills 3,000 years of the history of power into 48 well-explicated laws. This bold volume outlines the laws of power in their unvarnished essence, synthesizing the philosophies of Machiavelli, Sun Tzu, Carl von Clausewitz, and other infamous strategists. The 48 Laws of Power will fascinate any listener interested in gaining, observing, or defending against ultimate control.

©2000 Robert Greene and Joost Elffers (P)2015 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

Critic reviews

It's The Rules for suits.... Machiavelli has a new rival. And Sun-tzu better watch his back." ( New York Magazine)

You don't have to be a psychopath to like this.

This is an absolutely amazing book. It will help you to tell your true friends apart from people who just want to use you. It will tell when to give more to your employer, or when to tone down your enthusiasm. It will warn you about going too far in your quest for power.

If you really are a power-hungry maniac, this book will do just as much to help you reach your goals as it will if you are an average joe with no ambitions. I'm an idealist myself - I like to see the good in everyone and I don't like to think of myself as someone who wants "power" over other people.

But that is not an excuse to avoid encountering the incredibly valuable information in this book. At the very least, it will keep you from making poor moves that will cause you to fall out of favor with others. At the most, you will be able to spot when someone else is playing "the game" and use their techniques against them.

I don't like to play the game myself; I don't think power is a game. But I sure as hell like to watch the people who DO live like it's a game spin their wheels as they try and fail to pin me down and make themselves look totally incompetent in the process.

If you're an honest person and if you think rewards and status should be earned by merit and not by raw power or deception, then your reputation and character will go before you and these laws of power will walk behind you.

Don't use this book to grow in power for power's sake. This is a fool's errand, and ends in your annihilation. Rather learn the laws of power to attain mastery over your own spirit, and to defend against those who would prey upon your honesty and integrity.

Power if you want to be an Asshole

Two major comments.

First, many rules contradict other rules.

Second, many of these rules will be effective, yet also turn you into a complete Asshole

A great book for future Kings and Despots

Wow what an amazingly narrated tale of how kings, queens, tyrants and everyday people gain power and influence through a variety of ways listed in this book.
While it does present quite evil ways of manipulation and control, listening to this I felt a little more aware of the ways people gain power over others.

A book for reference

It's a good book, speaks a lot about using power, manipulating people and navigating the world. lot of laws are impractical and can't be learnt, I feel like it has to come to you almost naturally. the book gets a little daunting in the middle because the stories are not that exciting.

Excellent Narration, Great Story, a great listen

Where does 48 Laws of Power rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It's up there. The narration was great, keeping one interested throughout the book. Really enjoyed how the narrator could adopt the tone of the various characters. The stories were great too, I just would have liked to see more contemporary examples of power plays. I read 33 strategies of war by the same author, so I knew the story was likely to be good, and I was not disappointed. Lots of vignettes and short chapters, so easy to pick up again if your attention wanders.

48 Laws of Power - 36 of which you will enjoy.

I'm going to keep this review short, sweet and simple.

Yes, it has a number of inaccuracies when it comes to history and people. Yes, he tends to cherry pick when it comes to his anecdotes - ignoring stories and events that hurt his argument in favor of the ones that support it.

But to focus on these details is to miss the point of Robert Greene's book. By reading and/or listening to this book I began to notice the subtle ways everyone constantly jockeys for power and control. I also think it is a good resource for your writers, because sometimes he knocks an analysis out of the park.

And by sometimes I mean about... 3/4 of the time. About 36 out of 48 times.

Many wonderful lessons. Great Performance!

I feel so educated. This book contains many fabulous examples from history, legends, and fables. I highly recommend!

Fascinating

This book is great! It's poignant and concise, while giving great examples for each law it presents. Even at 23 hours long, I am inclined to listen to it again.

Kind of dark, but absolutely insightful

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would recommend this to the type of friend who I felt that could use this too understanding how to leverage position. I think "everyone" should read this book, however I don't think many will fully understand the proper application.

What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?

The are 48 compelling aspect of this narrative. What drive it home it the careful research and justifications of each law. What brings it full circle is the objections to each law which leaves the reader to make his or her own decision of how to interpret the law.

Have you listened to any of Richard Poe’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I haven't heard any other performances. The resonance and inflection in how the book was read put emphasis on each law that made it fitting to the book.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Again 48 reasons I was particularly moved.

excellent book, good reference stories

I liked it, everything had reference stories. it was fun, though it took me some time to get through.