Greene and Elffers have created an heir to Machiavelli's Prince, espousing
principles such as, everyone wants more power; emotions, including love,
are detrimental; deceit and manipulation are life's paramount tools. Anyone
striving for psychological health will be put off at the start, but the
authors counter, saying "honesty is indeed a power strategy," and "genuinely
innocent people may still be playing for power." Amoral or immoral, this
compendium aims to guide those who embrace power as a ruthless game, and will
entertain the rest. Elffers's layout (he is identified as the co-conceiver
and designer in the press release) is stylish, with short epigrams set in red
at the margins. Each law, with such allusive titles as "Pose as a Friend, Work
as a Spy," "Get Others to Do the Work for You, But Always Take the Credit,"
"Conceal Your Intentions," is demonstrated in four ways?using it correctly,
failing to use it, key aspects of the law and when not to use it. Illustrations
are drawn from the courts of modern and ancient Europe, Africa and Asia, and
devious strategies culled from well-known personae: Machiavelli, Talleyrand,
Bismarck, Catherine the Great, Mao, Kissinger, Haile Selassie, Lola Montes and
various con artists of our century. These historical escapades make enjoyable
reading, yet by the book's conclusion, some protagonists have appeared too many
times and seem drained. Although gentler souls will find this book frightening,
those whose moral compass is oriented solely to power will have a perfect vade
mecum.

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