The Prince was a fun read. That feels weird to say because it was an instruction manual written for the ruling powers of 16th century Florence, but Machiavelli's writing style made it an absolute breeze to get through.

Similarly to Plato's The Republic The Prince acts as a guide on how to create an efficiently run and well-controlled principality. However, where these two texts differ is that Machiavelli doesn't dither on the morality and virtues of the governmental structures he advocates for. He makes it clear that this is a guidebook for princes on how to maintain control of their principalities. This made it a refreshing read in comparison because while both books advocate for some heinous, amoral actions it never felt like Machiavelli was trying to convince me that such amorality was actually good for the common man like Plato attempted to.

I also have to admit I adore theoretical political machinations. It's why I devour political fantasy, I love seeing people make power plays and manipulate politics to their advantage. While in reality, those actions are horrifying, it's fun to play in the sandbox of ruthless politics when they have no real-life consequences. In that sense, The Prince is the blueprint for those kinds of political machinations and I enjoyed seeing the origins of this kind of realpolitik.

What I found most surprising about the book is how Machiavelli himself comes off. Because of the dominating pop-culture representation of Machiavelli as this conniving manipulative figure, I expected him to read as an influential power-hungry figure. In reality, because this book was basically a job application to the Medicis, he reads as an incredibly subservient advisor begging for a job. The opening and closing chapters in particular paint a hilarious portrait of a man who knows full well he needs to kiss ass to keep his job.

The Prince was a good time. The short chapters made it a fast read and I enjoyed all the amoral politics layered throughout.