Keep it simple stupid. But don't treat people like idiots. In the first 132 pages, the book is a relevant educational piece of work. After that, the educational value is almost removed, as the book uses 20 pages to deal with “social matters”. To anybody with common sense and politeness, these things goes without saying. How to deal with cheaters and how you should behave when leaving and joining teams is self-explanatory. One could argue that though the players know it consciously, they have to be reminded about it. That's right, but if the players are neglecting the basic guidelines of etiquette already, why should they obey them when reminded about it?

The subjects that could potentially be a goldmine is surpassed with only a quick scratch, like the 2 pages for “Sponsorships”. The subject “Bombsites” could have been a great exception in the second chapter. Though still being a good read, I feel unsatisfied with how the matter is handled. I presume the book is written from a First Person perspective – and mainly tries to educate the single reader – but showing e.g how to go into a taken Bombsite B on dust2 from mid, could have provided valuable content for the book/subject.

Spelled out, the second part of the book is kept too simple and pass over the interesting subject very fast.

It's a good read, but...

Honestly guys. 200+ pages and not more than a single paragraph about the money system? This is one of the things that I was utterly disappointed about in the book. The money-system in CounterStrike is hard to fully understand for outsiders, as it isn't described anywhere. Therefore I had expected, that the biggest journalistic work in CounterStrike would have the subject covered. It is not a make or break issue, but it just adds to the picture of three writers wanting to cover a broader audience than their material actually justify.
The book will add valuable knowledge to right about any CounterStrike player – apart from those the book mentions as the “most competitive”. There is simply a lack of material for those players; they won't experience the book as a learning-experience, but rather as a “I know that, give me something I don't know”-experience.

Final Remarks

The Art of CS is a quite unique piece of work. Not only does it combine the best of “CounterStrike lessons with pro-players” with written guidelines, it also enhances your actual understanding of the game. You are not taught which moves to do in specific situations, you are explained WHY certain moves can prove effective in specific situations. The book creates reflection of the subjects instead of giving universal truths regarding what to do. I'd recommend the book to all CS-players that wants to work with their game. The book provides a shortcut to many years of training and experience.

The final remark can be boiled down to the following. If you want to be better at CounterStrike, you should rather buy The Art of CS than upgrade your mousepad to a newer edition.

If you want to buy the book, head over to TAO-CS for more information