Perfect union of ancient and fictional strategists

I truly enjoyed this translation of The Art of War, both the strategies and tactics themselves and the way Sun Tzu's hands the advice down. Indeed the content is often dry, with absolute clarity with each factor and situation described; there is no room for ambiguity. Somewhat surprisingly to me, I found the lack of fanfare both engaging and refreshing.



My darker sense of humour is tickled when Giles describes outcomes for the weakest of leaders. I am sure Giles detected a tone of disdain in sections within the original. Some sections feel slightly repetitive, but the flow of the chapters and the overall message remains intact.



As an avid fans of the Game of Thrones television, I'd argue no other character plays the cold strategist as does 'Littlefinger'. He is stone-faced in both planning and execution of his political agenda; even the few bouts of passion seem only a dramatisation for the benefit of the ruse, and not genuine emotion at all. This is why I believe the reading by Aidan Gillen is so perfect for this book.



With Gillen's voice already associated with the detached persona of Baelish, the delivery parallels the cold strategic and tactical content. Hearing Gillen speak of 'utter disorganisation' and 'the coyness of a maiden' caused me to chuckle quietly, highlighting again the precise matching of the reading to the text.



LAST WORDS: If you have ever enjoyed an episode of Game of Thrones, and found yourself having even a single enemy, do yourself a favour: spend 67 minutes listening to this engaging performance of a most important work.