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Like many other people that I?m sure have read the 48 Laws of Power and the Art of Seduction, I was immensely curious about what the 33 Strategies of War had to offer. After what numerous authors through history have written on the subject, what could anyone else possibly have to add? War is the continuation of politics by other means, says Carl von Clausewitz. In the same vein, you could say Robert Greene?s 33 Strategies of War is a continuation of his 48 Laws of Power - by other means. In the first parts of the book he talks about self directed-, organizational and offensive warfare. He also talks about defense; which is noteworthy, since everybody seems to think only attack is important. He stresses that resources are limited, and battles must be carefully chosen. The definitive theme he lays out in these first chapters is that the general is ultimately responsible for the outcome of the war; and the individual ultimately responsible for the outcome of his life, which in itself is war. Winning, of course, can be the only acceptable option. In the end no one will remember or care that the odds or circumstances were against you, or that you even almost won. Everybody will only be concerned about who did win. There are also the juicy military stories and references: Sun Tzu, who elevates war and strategy to the level of poetry; the disciplined Romans and their organized, inexorable war machine; Hannibal, thinking creatively ?out of the box? and pulling off all sorts of military surprises; and the Samurai sword masters, squaring each other off physically as well as psychologically. Napoleon at Austerlitz provides a new concept that caught my interest: ?strategic depth of thinking?, as opposed to formulaic thinking. Strategy conventionally involves identifying an overall aim and working sequentially through a set of lesser goals, or steps, to achieve that aim. But Robert Greene points out a deeper and more profound approach that involves not just linear, or formulaic, progression towards an eventual objective, but also means working to increase one?s options and create new opportunities along the way ? with every situation, with every passing event, as Napoleon did victoriously against the allies. The last part of the book ? Dirty Warfare ? reads like you?re back again within the pages of the 48 Laws of Power. But in the 33 Strategies, the lessons appear to contradict themselves to a lesser extent; especially the ?reversals? at the end of each chapter. The reversals this time not only represent contrary courses of action but provide, more appropriately, the context under which each strategy can be applied. And context: I think that should be the key word in reading all of Robert Greene?s books - whether you chose to accept the lessons at face value or interprete them according to your own moral code. There?s always something to learn ? for the hawks as well as for the doves.

HALF OF A YELLOW SUN Leafing through ?Half of a Yellow Sun? on the shelf of our university bookshop, I almost didn?t take it. But after settling down on a sofa at home to turn the first page, I just couldn?t drop the novel. What I would have missed! I first came in contact with Chimamanda?s style in ?Purple Hibiscus?, her maiden novel. I would describe her first book as great writing. But Half of a Yellow Sun is a quantum leap, unveiling additional aspects to the author, evolving down many paths, and exploring ? with admirable comfort - a subject as imposing as the Nigerian civil war. Great writing, and a great story. Here again Chimamada is the master of delicious detail, first-rate for expressing the most private thoughts and feelings, sometimes with an eerie bent ? like the whole passage where she describes Ugwu lying wounded in a hospital, half dreaming. And in this book the characters take on real flesh and blood; there?s drama. The plot starts out simply enough, then, slyly, slips into the most unexpected twists. Peaceful nights of wine and intellectual argument in a university community are taken over by days in a bunker with screaming bombs overhead, starvation and stark inhumanity. Twin sisters, who were not the best of friends to begin with, find themselves involved in a love triangle that, paradoxically, along with the war and all the other traumatic experiences that alter their lives, serves to drive them closer. I?ll not be forgetting the characters in a hurry: Odenigbo ? Confident, strong and sure of himself. The series of life-changing events that span the book, however, wear him down and leave him exhausted in the end, a husk of his former self. Olanna ? Strikingly beautiful. Her rich parents expect her to marry a rich suitor to expand the family business. But instead she falls in love with Odenigbo and her whole role in the book seems defined by, and appears to revolve round, him. This love is to lead her down a descending spiral of circumstances and situations ? being cheated upon, living in unaccustomed squalor, carrying a baby around for Odenigbo through the war; a baby that was not born by her. Are her actions borne out of a high sense of steadfastness or low self-esteem? Kainene ? Olanna?s enigmatic twin sister, blowing perfect smoke-rings from her cigarette and coolly pronouncing judgement on others. When she speaks it is with an acerbic, biting wit. It is interesting that Kainene turned out herself to be the greatest irony of all - she, the most unlikely person, became in the end the strength and rallying point that all the others turned to. And then she disappeared from the scene?suddenly, utterly. Half of a Yellow Sun is much more than just an enjoyable novel, it carries promise and stature. It is written by a Nigerian, about a Nigerian setting. But its quality will be appreciated by any eyes that encounter it ? black or white, Nigerian or foreign. It is indeed a classic, representing the leading edge of Nigerian literature for our time, the way Chinua Achebe?s ?Things Fall Apart? was during his ? but now maybe even more so.