Hidden somewhere, in nearly every major city in the world, is an underground seduction lair. And in these lairs, men trade the most devastatingly effective techniques ever invented to charm women. This is not fiction. These men really exist. They live together in houses known as Projects. And Neil Strauss, the bestselling author, spent two years living among them, using the pseudonym Style to protect his real-life identity. The result is one of the most explosive, witty, and controversial books of the year--guaranteed to change the lives of men and transform the way women understand the opposite sex forever.

On his journey from AFC (average frustrated chump) to PUA (pick-up artist) to PUG (pick-up guru), Strauss not only shares scores of original seduction techniques but also has memorable encounters with the likes of Tom Cruise, Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, Heidi Fleiss, and Courtney Love. And then things really start to get strange – and passions lead to betrayals lead to violence. The Game is the story of one man’s transformation from frog to prince to prisoner in the most unforgettable book of the year.
Amazon.com Review:
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

Customer Reviews Average rating - 4.5

Rating - 4 Date: 2009-01-06
Content: Completely reflective of any successful pickup attempt ever made. Takes freak incidents chalked up to a player's luck and makes it an artform with sequenced rules to playing the game. Still not peacocking, but I understand.
Summary: Funny but True

Rating - 4 Date: 2009-01-06
Content: The book is great, excellent introduction to the PUA world... but note that this is not a step-by-step guide, it contains the basics of the Mystery Method and other techniques, but you have to isolate it from the story itself (the book is about all the process that this guy, Style, had to make to become a mPUA and things that happened after that)
Summary: Great, but I expected more step-by-step guide

Rating - 5 Date: 2009-01-01
Content: Not sure what else I can say that hasn't already been said. But its a great story that was very inspirational to me. I learned some things new things, but was mostly entertained about how a guy who had a high profile still wasn't successful with women until he came to Hollywood and met Mystery. I agree with the last reveiwer, it's not a "how-to" manual. If you want to learn step-by-step all of the techniques in The Game, read Secrets of the A Game: How to Meet and Attract Women Anywhere, Anyplace, Anytime.
Summary: Great Story - But Not For Learning the PUA Skills

Rating - 5 Date: 2008-12-28
Content: This is a great story. I think it's worth it for that alone. You get to peek into the lives of people you would not normally get to watch. In my opinion though, there are better "seduction" manuals out there.

To me, this is like a "big picture" book that shows what can be accomplished when you start living this stuff. It's worth it for that. Don't get it if you're just looking for pickup lines though.
Summary: good story but there are better "seduction" manuals out there

Rating - 3 Date: 2008-12-28
Content: I'd also recommend Around The World in 80 Babes! -- the classic tale of Nige 54 and his adventures meeting women and showing them a good time. Unlike many guys who are all talk and only think they know how to meet women, through his story, Nige 54 imparts the required insight and strategy that other guys can actually use to maximize their success. In contrast to "The Game," which painted a very negative picture of the whole seduction community, Around The World in 80 Babes! motivates and inspires every guy out there to make some changes and start living the "54" way.
Matt
Summary: Around the World in 80 Babes