The Art of War

By: Sun Tzu

Narrated by: Joseph Kent

Length: 1 hr and 10 mins

Publisher's summary

Sun Tzu said: The art of war is of vital importance to the State. It is a matter of life and death, a road either to safety or to ruin. Hence it is a subject of inquiry which can on no account be neglected. The art of war, then, is governed by five constant factors, to be taken into account in one's deliberations, when seeking to determine the conditions obtaining in the field. These are: (1) The Moral Law; (2) Heaven; (3) Earth; (4) The Commander; (5) Method and discipline. The Moral Law causes the people to be in complete accord with their ruler, so that they will follow him regardless of their lives, undismayed by any danger.

©2018 Combray Media (P)2018 Combray Media

About what you'd expect

Any additional comments?

The Art of War, by Sun Tzu, was written somewhen during the 5th Century BCE, so this is just a straight reading of a common translation. Joseph Kent unfortunately did not seem to have any inflection on the words, headings, or sub-headings.

Since the actual text has passed out of copyright domain, you can read this book anywhere. If you need to hear an audio version, I'd recommend looking at another narrator.

"I was provided with a free copy of this audiobook in exchange for a fair and honest review"

It could have been better.

I was expecting more then I got. I don't usually listen to this type of thing but I thought I will give it a go. It is short so it doesn't take that long to listen too, but I would have liked it more in sentences and paragraphs instead of bullet points.
I noticed from other reviews that this is a simple translation and that is why it is read the way it is.
I liked the narrator and I wouldn't mind listening to his other works.

Excellent performance of a classic text

The Art of War is one of those books that you hear referenced all of the time. People always recommend it. I've owned a copy of it for years but have never been able to finish it. As a student and teacher of history, I always felt like I should read it. So finally I decided to have it read to me. The text stands on its own. Sun Tzu's ideas have inspired generals, leaders, and others for more than 2000 years. But its essentially an instruction manual, and those aren't the most exciting things to read. However the voice performance of Joseph Kent helps bring the text too life and makes it listenable.

Kept Simple

I have read and or listened to many versions of Sun Tzu's Art of War. This was a very straight forward version of the original text. It offers no interpretations during the reading of the book which I found very nice. This allows the listener to make their own conclusions and interpretations as to what Sun Tzu was saying and how it can be applied to situations today.

The narrator did an excellent job of narrating this book.

I received this free copy in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

*Interesting but not really for me

This book was interesting but not really my thing. The narrator didn't help this book either. I will probably listen to another version of this book using a different narrator to see if that makes any difference. If you're into war and history etc then this book is for you.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

A military strategic classic

If you could sum up The Art of War in three words, what would they be?

Interesting,Wise,Philosophical,

What other book might you compare The Art of War to and why?

N/A

Which character – as performed by Joseph Kent – was your favorite?

N/A

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No but it is used to train future Military tacticians for its classical wisdom in facing your opponents in any type of action in War.

Any additional comments?

This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.

Oh, the Art of War...

I have been wanting to read this book for years. I always thought it would be hard to understand though. So when I seen it up for review, I jumped at the chance to review it. I figure it was short only being an hour long, how hard could it be right?
I was very surprised that it was not all "technical talk". It was very easy to understand, and informative.
Narration was great!
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

A good manual for conquering

I was give this book in exchange of an honest review.

I liked it a lot, it has a lot of good principles to conquer anything you may think of if applied correctly.

I do now know why almost everyone in bussiness and other areas use it so much, this principles are pretty much moldeable to any situation if you want to use them to several circumstances.

A great book to read.

A classic.

Sun Tzu's "The Art of War" is a classic, oft quoted and studied. It is short and for that reason it is a book that everyone who has an interest in history should read/listen to.
For a couple of years I had planned to read it, then came an opportunity to listen to the audiobook, it was very easy to listen too and I plan on purchasing a written copy.
It is more than the art of war, it gives an insight to the art of life and good decision making.
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

A lively performance.

Art of War is surprisingly user friendly and practical given how old it is. I imagine it would become tedious after a while if not for its brevity. It’s an interesting read and a nice glimpse back in time. This audio book would be really good for someone prepping for an exam, maybe for a college level course. The reader is very clear and succinct in his style but his tone was a bit too perky for me, for this subject matter. That being said, I attempted to listen to another audio book version of the Art of War a couple years ago and that reader bored me to tears – at the time I was unable to finish the book. This reader kept me engaged from start to finish, likely owing to his upbeat energy. I was given this free review copy audio book at my request and have voluntarily left this review.