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Description and Opinions
Are you just another AFC ("average frustrated chump") trying to meet an HB ("hot babe")? How would you like to "full-close" with a Penthouse Pet of the Year? The answers, my friend, are in Neil Strauss's entertaining book The Game. Strauss was a self-described chick repellant--complete with large, bumpy nose, small, beady eyes, glasses, balding head, and, worst of all, painful shyness around women. He felt like "half a man." That is, until a book editor asked him to investigate the community of pickup artists. Strauss's life was transformed. He spent two years bedding some fine chiquitas and studying with some of the North America's most suave gents--including the best of them all, the God of the pickup "community," a man named Mystery. Mystery is an aspiring Toronto magician who charges $2,250 for a weekend pickup workshop. He is not much to look at: a cross between a vampire and a computer geek. But by using high-powered marketing techniques he's turned seduction into an effortless craft--even inventing his own vocabulary. His technique sounds like a car salesman's tip sheet: his main rule is FMAC--find, meet, attract, close. He employs the "three-second rule"--always approach a woman within three seconds of first seeing her in order to avoid getting shy. Other tricks: Intrigue a beautiful woman by pretending to be unaffected by her charm; also, never hit on a woman right away. Start with a disarming, innocent remark, like "Do you think magic spells work?" or "Oh my god, did you see those two girls fighting outside?" And finally, the most important characteristic of the pickup artist--smile. After two years, Strauss ends up becoming almost as successful as Mystery, but he comes to an important realization. His techniques were actually off-putting to the woman he ended up falling in love with. And they never prepared him for actually having a relationship. After a while, he ran out of one-liners and had to have a real conversation. Still, The Game is a great read that may help some AFCs come out of their shells. --Alex Roslin
Fun Read
I've tried a few books on this topic as you can see by my past reviews. I'm 350 pages into it and this was by far the most fun to read.
This is the first thing of Neil's that I've read and I love the guy's writing style. He is very descriptive in a way that brings the people, places, and interactions very much to life. I also enjoy seeing the growth of all the characters - for lack of a better term- and the community in general as the story progresses.
I honestly don't enjoy reading much in my spare time, but I keep finding myself coming back to this one.
That said, I was reluctant to give it 5 stars only because it's not as geared toward the actual pick up as I originally thought. Based on things I'd heard about it I was thinking this was going to be some sort of holy grail of pick up tips, which so far it really isn't. Don't get me wrong, there are a number of tips, especially early on, but many of the tips are incomplete and/or hollow (or approaches I'm not intersted in like hypnosis). For example Neil (through his own voice and Mystery's) suggests the reader try magic to impress the ladies. Personally, that's not an approach I'm interested, but, even if I were, it does not build on that. It does not tell me what tricks to do or how to do them. This is true of some of the other tricks in the book. Not bad advice, just incomplete at times.
That said, there are a number of tips that are complete and there are a number of other lessons to be learned just through reading and paying attention to the storyline. It's because of that and the writing style that I decided to go with a 5.
If you're looking for a good read, I would definitely recommend the book without hesitation.
If you're looking for pickup tips I'm on the fence as to whether I recommend it. A lot of the stuff can be found for free online on his site and many others. There were not too many things in this book that I have not seen elsewhere. Personally, I would probably just google some of the various sites and join their newsletters instead to get free tips. I would also check out Neil's myspace page because he has some very good advice in his blogs (plus some openers and other tips that came directly out of this book)and the videos are entertaining. I should note that he does list at various places in the book (and some are on his website) a number of movies and books you can look to to gain a better understanding of various topics
If you're just looking to learn about the pickup community and the lingo this is defintely a great book for that as it lives up to the title in describing his entrance into and gradual rise in the community and it immerses you in the language of the community, complete with a glossary in the back if you need a refresher. It also gives you an insight into who some of the people are behind the various pick up companies so you have an idea of who may fit your style best if you are considering workshops.
More Truth than Techniques
The last couple of books I've read in this area were straight guides to getting women into bed, complete with their own terms and techniques. You'll find that in this book but you'll also find a great story about the process of going from a dateless nerd to a pick-up superstar to a jaded hedonist still looking for more (like "love").
It's also an extremely well-written, far more professional work than the other "seduction manuals" I've found so far. As a writer to Rolling Stone, I found the sections where Neil's PUA trajectory in Europe and the L.A. club scene and his star interviews/encounters with stars like Tom Cruise, Courtney Love and Britney Spears incredibly fascinating. No caveman posturing here, just frank and honest appraisals of life as a stud.
I'm not sure how many more of these pick-up guides I'll read. I'm getting a similarity in the basic mindsets (exude more confidence, dress better, smile) so I don't know if they'll all sound the same after a while. But THE GAME has certainly been the most entertaining and insightful so far.
(There's also a ton of stuff online about Neil Strauss and his experiences that's worth looking at after you've read the book--at least to get a look at his hot girlfriend, Lisa).
MORE LIKE A STORY NOVEL THAN A PICK UP STRATEGY GUIDE
OK true that this book was very attractive from the way it looked (the cover and all). But as I began reading it desiring some techniques that might be found on this book about how to pick up women, clearly it was nothing more than a story novel.
True the "story" has some detailed bits and tactics and ideas about how the Mystery Method explains, but this is definitely not a HOW TO guide.....I was actually reading to find strategies, yet only realized there was really nothing left but stories like a novel book.....I have Robert Greene's book SEDUCTION....Now there is a how to guide for you...
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