I’m looking for a book that puts me inside the mind of an intelligent, strategic, and possibly ruthless protagonist. I want to see their exact thought process as they outmaneuver others—whether in business, negotiation, power plays, or survival situations. Fiction or nonfiction, as long as it captures how they think and execute their moves.
by negrow123
12 Comments
The Traitor Baru Cormorant,
Shogun by Clavell.
But in both books you don’t see inside their mind.
I think you’ll struggle to find a novel that suits your request better than *Ender’s Game* by Orson Scott Card.
The Qualcomm equation fits the bill
The Talented Mr Ripley by Patricia Highsmith
The Godfather
Harry Harrison’s classic series *The Stainless Steel Rat* does just what you describe! Many successful books but the structure is always the same: action and dialogue sandwiched between musings of the character, how he outthinks every other person in the galaxy. In the first book he has to take drugs to outthink himself and his adversary…
These stories and this character are a bit dated and I imagine that these books are not as edgy as you are looking for, but for 1970s scifi about a criminal mastermind they fit your bill. And the character and the short books are great reads – scifi classics for a good reason.
The Vorkosigan Saga by Lois McMaster Bujold, probably start with The Warrior’s Apprentice
The Count of Monte Cristo!
Asimov’s _Foundation_ has a ton of this. A small enclave of scientists and academics defends and expands their remote outpost, slowly turning it into a dominant empire.
_Vicious_ by V.E. Schwab
The Years of Lyndon Johnson by Robert Caro is the relentless story of a man who will do anything it takes to reach the most powerful job in the world.
He’s not the single main character, and the narration shifts POVs back and forth, but one of the characters from Richard Powers’ Playground released last year came to mind instantly reading your post, he fits what you’re looking for so well! And it’s a brilliant book in general so if you don’t mind that he isn’t the single focus of the story I cannot recommend it enough!