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A review by leanne_mcelroy
The Art of War by Sun Tzu, Lionel Giles
4.0
There is great wisdom in this book, and it’s good background for Chinese idioms and proverbs. It really gets to the heart of military operation and how the human mind must be formed and reformed in each and every new situation.
This collection of military prowess is great for those who want to enrich themselves in war, army knowledge and survival tactics. There is also rich Chinese historical and translational work.
The book relates a lot of things you wouldn’t even think about in your daily life. At most, when one hears war, they think of blood and swords. However, this compilation includes human psychology, terrain, weather patterns, reward and punishment systems, reducing carnage and the horror of long lasting war on the human consciousness.
The formatting was easy to read and the book itself quite short. It gives a detailed account on the story behind why the book was written and its impact on military triumphs in ancient China. I found it intriguing, being an admirer of Asian culture and with the desire to write a military based character.
However, the book lost a star for the fact that I felt I had to force myself to keep going at times. Some bits were exciting and thought provoking, but for some reason the pacing dragged a little. Some sections felt too long and drawn out.
Otherwise an important and necessary read I feel. It was worth investing time into I’d say, just from a knowledge and history standpoint alone.
For some reason my copy was only 128 pages as opposed to the 170 paged version on good reads. So I did a complete read but be mindful of different lengths and editions.
This collection of military prowess is great for those who want to enrich themselves in war, army knowledge and survival tactics. There is also rich Chinese historical and translational work.
The book relates a lot of things you wouldn’t even think about in your daily life. At most, when one hears war, they think of blood and swords. However, this compilation includes human psychology, terrain, weather patterns, reward and punishment systems, reducing carnage and the horror of long lasting war on the human consciousness.
The formatting was easy to read and the book itself quite short. It gives a detailed account on the story behind why the book was written and its impact on military triumphs in ancient China. I found it intriguing, being an admirer of Asian culture and with the desire to write a military based character.
However, the book lost a star for the fact that I felt I had to force myself to keep going at times. Some bits were exciting and thought provoking, but for some reason the pacing dragged a little. Some sections felt too long and drawn out.
Otherwise an important and necessary read I feel. It was worth investing time into I’d say, just from a knowledge and history standpoint alone.
For some reason my copy was only 128 pages as opposed to the 170 paged version on good reads. So I did a complete read but be mindful of different lengths and editions.