# Has anyone read The Game? How fair is a scathing Amazon review of it? **URL:** \ **Category:** Lounge\ **Created:** [November 19, 2007, 3:02pm UTC](https://pheromonetalk.com/t/has-anyone-read-the-game-how-fair-is-a-scathing-amazon-review-of-it/6755 "2007-11-19T15:02:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![z414a4d](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/pheromonetalk.com/z414a4d/32/1299_2.png) [@z414a4d](https://pheromonetalk.com/u/z414a4d)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2007, 3:02pm UTC](https://pheromonetalk.com/t/has-anyone-read-the-game-how-fair-is-a-scathing-amazon-review-of-it/6755/1 "2007-11-19T15:02:32Z")
_Hey, I was checking this out on amazon (via the link on the top of the page) and i came across mostly good reviews on this book. I was wondering, how many people here have actually read it? What do you think about it? Below is an exerpt from the review page on one paticular negative feedback reguarding the book, how does this compare to the the books actual message?_ 49 of 84 people found the following review helpful: ![](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/pheromonetalk/original/2X/3/3c1b253d577309ebb6ab944bdbf3171f9c113532.gif) **Lecherous Men Who Need This “Book” For Advice Aren’t Real Men And Deserve To Be Lonely, Frustrated & Lacking Self-Worth!!!** , October 17, 2007 By **Nero’s Fire Against The Christians "Murmillo …** (I have found some kind of temporary sanity in this…s\*\*\*, blood and c\*\* on my hands!) [http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/x-locale/communities/reputation/c7y\_badge\_tr\_6._V47081619_.gif](http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html/ref=cm_rn_bdg_help?ie=UTF8&nodeId=14279681&pop-up=1#TR) US culture has coarsened. Republicans are 100% correct in citing this trend that exploded since the 60s, liberal “revolution.” Nowhere is this ghastly reality seen worse than [The Game](http://www.amazon.com/Game-Penetrating-Secret-Society-Artists/dp/0060554738) and its subordinating, brownnosing, 5-star reviews. Reading these 5-star ratings, the unsuspecting surfer would misconstrue [The Game](http://www.amazon.com/Game-Penetrating-Secret-Society-Artists/dp/0060554738) possesses virtue, entertainment and usefulness. My skewering review will disprove the 5-star reviews’ fraud and divulge [The Game](http://www.amazon.com/Game-Penetrating-Secret-Society-Artists/dp/0060554738) as debauched, sadistic, sophomoric, misogynistic, underhanded, lecherous!!! [The Game](http://www.amazon.com/Game-Penetrating-Secret-Society-Artists/dp/0060554738)’s the libertine story of an LA Times writer who longingly plots to “correct” his frustrated teen and twentysomething years spent without success in “getting laid.” He’s also insecure and awkward around women; he spends his waking hours longing for tail. His “solution?” Frequent the underground, pickup artist community–via internet groups–to procure tips on seducing, then bedding women. So, he becomes the pupil of the misogynistic and emotionally stunted man-child Mystery, self-proclaimed master of picking up women. The “star” (Mystery) of Strauss’ writing is one of the worst lowlives you’ll ever witness. At first, Mystery’s in his thirties YET LIVING WITH HIS PARENTS in an underprivileged, Toronto apartment!!! He’s emotionally retarded as evidenced in his confession that he never received love from his father–German immigrant-alcoholic who beat Mystery!–and how he yearns for a polygamist relationship with two lesbians. Mystery’s pickup artist routine involves seducing many women to ineffectively battle to bring up his insecure sense of self-worth; underestimating the intelligence of women; and lecherously fu\*\*ing as many women as he can pick up. Mystery’s routine is so elementary that it involves thoughtless, robotic patterns Mystery claims work on all women. From the seedy places described, it appears his routine only works if you target lowlife establishments (bars, clubs, Hollywood parties) and loose women. I repeat: [The Game](http://www.amazon.com/Game-Penetrating-Secret-Society-Artists/dp/0060554738) is misdirecting since Mystery’s coarse pickup routine is never attempted on women of better breeding, ie., those with education, self-worth, class, morals–in short, conservative-leaning. His routine’s only applied to liberal women he finds in the meanest of skid row locales. If one subserviently and errantly uses Mystery’s pickup routine on women in normal places–away from the liberal skew of places like Hollywood parties and seedy bars–like malls, parks, offices, community/recreational activities, functions, etc., you’d get slapped in the face, and rightly so. Mystery’s tactics are misogynistic because they devalue women as fu\*\*-buddies (actual term from [The Game](http://www.amazon.com/Game-Penetrating-Secret-Society-Artists/dp/0060554738)!) and conquests to be had; Mystery/Strauss admit many times picking up women is an addiction to satisfy their egos. Mystery’s tactics involve going into a bar with his insecure, lowlife co-sargers and approaching women within three seconds of eye contact. It continues with pretending to be disinterested in the targeted woman (“negging”) while the PUA’s wing distracts whoever else in her group. It then, if need be, also resorts to ludicrous magic tricks and calculating demonstrations of value to the targeted woman. This combination of BS is alleged to result in quickly getting an indiscriminate, liberal woman’s phone number, or even getting laid that very night!!! It’s obvious Mystery’s game is to be the poor man’s Machiavelli, as The Prince dealt with manipulation too; only in The Prince, manipulation was applied intelligently and observed properly. These BS-routines are absurd and untrustworthy that only lonely/mousy nerds desperate for a woman’s sexual touch, or sophomoric teenagers should/will bother with them. The censurable absurdity is Mystery proposes women will fall for elementary magic tricks done in bars!!! Strauss alleges women are like crows hopelessly attracted to shiny objects, that if one ludicrously does magic in front of her, or asks her value-demonstrating questions, she’ll put out like a sl\*t!!! No human’s that insanely stupid, though liberal women in LA may well be. Strauss also introduces other characters in the pickup community. There’s Papa, Tyler Durden, Ross Jefferies, Sweater, etc.. Like Mystery, ALL suffer from irreversible, emotional damage. Papa’s a rich college kid obsessed with scoring; Durden doesn’t like girls but lusts for power over women; Jefferies hates women due to a life of rejection; and Sweater naively wants to find a wife. Due to the soulless PUA lifestyle, most of these characters met with misery by the book’s conclusion: Papa dropped out of college where he was studying law; Sweater was trapped in a loveless marriage; and even Strauss, the author, was pining for Lisa (Courtney Love’s guitar-player) who disdained his lifestyle. I’ll stereotype the demographic of verminous male who basely reads [The Game](http://www.amazon.com/Game-Penetrating-Secret-Society-Artists/dp/0060554738). You’re a life-loser who isn’t getting any; loathes women; feels inferior; and cannot relate to women in healthy, emotional terms. I bet I’m 100% correct!!! Ironically, Strauss terms the Alpha Male of the Group as the man who competes with the PUA, yet I feel I’m the Alpha Male of all who’ve read [The Game](http://www.amazon.com/Game-Penetrating-Secret-Society-Artists/dp/0060554738) because I refuse to be so desperate to pick up women by resorting to this BS. I, as the normal, healthy and well-adjusted man, simply relate to women as the human beings they are, and that works a zillion times more effectively than Mystery’s BS. ---
**Author:** ![boss141](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bbce88/32.png) [@boss141](https://pheromonetalk.com/u/boss141)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2007, 7:14am UTC](https://pheromonetalk.com/t/has-anyone-read-the-game-how-fair-is-a-scathing-amazon-review-of-it/6755/2 "2007-11-20T07:14:15Z")
Im against this negative comment on The Game. Although I havent read it, I have read most of Mystery’s book and can say that it is legit and on the mark with what he claims. All Mystery is teaching is what alot of people correctly running some game have been doing for years and thats just “flipping the script” and beating women at their own game mentally…only thing is that he is putting it onto paper. Does he devalue women? No. What he does do is take most women off the pedistal and place them on even ground, which allows guys to build more confidence and comfort in different scenerios ---
**Author:** ![flaming](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/pheromonetalk.com/flaming/32/212_2.png) [@flaming](https://pheromonetalk.com/u/flaming)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2007, 12:43pm UTC](https://pheromonetalk.com/t/has-anyone-read-the-game-how-fair-is-a-scathing-amazon-review-of-it/6755/3 "2007-11-20T12:43:27Z")
lol so funny well sounds like whoever wrote that didnt like the book ha ha ha …Although it sounds like a good read terribly scathing though a pua must have done his wife. ---
**Author:** ![PheroQuirk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9e8a1a/32.png) [@PheroQuirk](https://pheromonetalk.com/u/PheroQuirk)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2007, 1:32pm UTC](https://pheromonetalk.com/t/has-anyone-read-the-game-how-fair-is-a-scathing-amazon-review-of-it/6755/4 "2007-11-20T13:32:01Z")
> [@Free pivot (female wingman): LA Area](https://pheromonetalk.com/t/free-pivot-female-wingman-la-area/837): > > I’m going to make myself available as a pivot (a female “wingman” who helps you scope out chickadees) and for product testing in the LA area, ala The Game. Just pay my way into wherever you want to go, and maybe buy me a drink or something, and both me and our catalog of mixes is yours. I’m a mommy, so I’m available for an hour or so at a time, but it would be a lot of fun! In fact, I can guar-on-tee you’ll have a blast!! If you’re interested, just post here or send me a PM, and we’ll chat ab… > [@So I Just "The Game" by Neil Strauss](https://pheromonetalk.com/t/so-i-just-the-game-by-neil-strauss/5439): > > So I paid $37 for it at my local barnes and noble, since my paypal account was dirt dry and couldnt buy it off the internet for only $20. The book’s design is quite humourous, like the shape of the bible, leather front, gold writing and golden page ends. What are your impressions of the book before and after you read it. Also will this book help me become a PUA? > [@Neil Strauss "The Game" - a fascinating read!](https://pheromonetalk.com/t/neil-strauss-the-game-a-fascinating-read/1000): > > Has anyone else here read his book? I became curious about Neil after seeing his photo in Jasmin’s “free pivot” thread … he wasn’t what I expected a pickup artist to look like! So I found his book (leather bound with gold edging, it resembles nothing so much as a Bible) and was delighted to discover what a good writer he is, and how much he reveals about the dark side of the PUA lifestyle and some of its central players. Many times he had me laughing out loud; there’s some priceless material her… ---
**Author:** ![MarkL](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/pheromonetalk.com/markl/32/825_2.png) [@MarkL](https://pheromonetalk.com/u/MarkL)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2007, 1:48pm UTC](https://pheromonetalk.com/t/has-anyone-read-the-game-how-fair-is-a-scathing-amazon-review-of-it/6755/5 "2007-11-20T13:48:53Z")
I bought it and read it, cover to cover. It’s not great literature, but it is a story about Strauss’s journey from average frustrated chump to PUA who sees past the bedroom window. It is a story, not a gospel. The story does not glorify the PUA life. If you want to learn to pick up women, reading The Game will illuminate **one** method of doing so. And bear in mind that it only illuminates that one method from Strauss’s perspective. I plan to give my copy to my older son -who is now fifteen- sometime in the next six months. (If his mother finds out, she will likely be furious.) ---
**Author:** ![bronzie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@bronzie](https://pheromonetalk.com/u/bronzie)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2007, 3:14pm UTC](https://pheromonetalk.com/t/has-anyone-read-the-game-how-fair-is-a-scathing-amazon-review-of-it/6755/6 "2007-11-20T15:14:38Z")
[z414a4d](https://pheromonetalk.com/u/z414a4d) are you robert greene? (art of seduction fame) ---
**Author:** ![Holmes](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/pheromonetalk.com/holmes/32/2128_2.png) [@Holmes](https://pheromonetalk.com/u/Holmes)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2007, 4:00pm UTC](https://pheromonetalk.com/t/has-anyone-read-the-game-how-fair-is-a-scathing-amazon-review-of-it/6755/7 "2007-11-20T16:00:09Z")
I missed that Amazon review. Guy seems to have a serious bug up his ass. He does make a few good points, but they’re mostly overwhelmed by a mushroom cloud of neocon-style contempt for the underdog. He also assumes that everyone who picks up the book is looking for pointers rather than sheer shites ‘n’ giggles. I read the book this past weekend. Found it fascinating and engrossing. Neil will never be mistaken for James Joyce (or P.J. O’Rourke or Bill Milkowski or Stephen Holden, for that matter), but as anyone who’s ever read any of his work already knows, he does have a knack for telling a story that somehow intrigues and, more often than not, captivates. If you want tips, they’re in there; if you’re looking for entertainment, it’s in there. As for the message…Neil obviously buys into some of the aspects of this particular method, but, as Mark said, he certainly hasn’t glorified the PUA lifestyle in this book. > [@](#): > > and even Strauss, the author, was pining for Lisa (Courtney Love’s guitar-player) who disdained his lifestyle. Note to NS: dude, you deserve better. ---
**Author:** ![z414a4d](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/pheromonetalk.com/z414a4d/32/1299_2.png) [@z414a4d](https://pheromonetalk.com/u/z414a4d)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2007, 6:32pm UTC](https://pheromonetalk.com/t/has-anyone-read-the-game-how-fair-is-a-scathing-amazon-review-of-it/6755/8 "2007-11-20T18:32:10Z")
> [@bronzie](#): > > [z414a4d](https://pheromonetalk.com/u/z414a4d) are you robert greene? (art of seduction fame) no…I’m Andrew Moore 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![bubblebob](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/pheromonetalk.com/bubblebob/32/2120_2.png) [@bubblebob](https://pheromonetalk.com/u/bubblebob)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2007, 12:05am UTC](https://pheromonetalk.com/t/has-anyone-read-the-game-how-fair-is-a-scathing-amazon-review-of-it/6755/9 "2007-11-22T00:05:15Z")
I have read the book some months ago and - although I might be among few on this site - I think the guy who wrote the review does have some good points. Most of the PUA’s characterized in this book made an impression of emotionally and psychologically very unstable persons - and the famous Mystery worse than all the others. I forgot most details, but there were some stories of total nervous breakdowns of Mr. Mystery - destroying his whole room in rage and all… Laying women indeed seems to be a cure for their insecure inner self. I’m glad I’ve read the book because it cured me from seeing these guys as some half-gods and role models… ---
**Author:** ![Holmes](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/pheromonetalk.com/holmes/32/2128_2.png) [@Holmes](https://pheromonetalk.com/u/Holmes)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2007, 12:33am UTC](https://pheromonetalk.com/t/has-anyone-read-the-game-how-fair-is-a-scathing-amazon-review-of-it/6755/10 "2007-11-22T00:33:20Z")
I got the sense that NS was pretty much telling it like it was. Mystery, Jeffries, et al were portrayed in an unflattering light, but it’s most likely nothing that was all that far from the truth. The guy who wrote the review extended his criticism beyond the book to its readers. You’re a life-loser who isn’t getting any? That’s a little out there. Yes, the guy definitely makes some valid points, but he seems real angry. ---
**Author:** ![z414a4d](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/pheromonetalk.com/z414a4d/32/1299_2.png) [@z414a4d](https://pheromonetalk.com/u/z414a4d)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2007, 9:42pm UTC](https://pheromonetalk.com/t/has-anyone-read-the-game-how-fair-is-a-scathing-amazon-review-of-it/6755/11 "2007-11-23T21:42:49Z")
Thanks for that input bubblebob.