kory b oswald

Not bad

Revisado: 02-20-25

After purchasing multiple stories with second-rate narration and subpar and/or dumb plots, this one was refreshing and not bad. It helps that it was free. I was entertained and recommend it for people who don’t often read murder mysteries, like myself. Because idk if it is actually that great or if I’m just unfamiliar with the genre. 🤷‍♂️

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Interesting concept, great writing, and great performance

Revisado: 10-13-24

I wish it were a full novel. It is an excellent addition to the Captive’s War saga.

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Impressive follow up to The Expanse

Revisado: 08-11-24

JSAC is the best in the biz and I think this series will prove it. I am bummed I finished it so quickly. So, I the hardback and might actually read a book instead of listen to it for the first time since the last Expanse book. JSAC is one of the main reasons I became disinterested in Star Wars and Star Trek-esque sci-fi with magic tech and loads of intelligent beings and civilizations and interstellar war etc. and JSAC, with The Gods of Mercy, is probably going to be the reason I start to tolerate and even enjoy it again. It’s great and I can’t wait for Book 2.

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I read/listen to books constantly

Revisado: 06-20-24

I can’t recall the last time I read or listened to a book as impactful and engaging as Strange Sally Diamond. The narration is as superb as the writing and story. Legit incredible.

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Solid execution of a smart concept

Revisado: 05-04-24

Having read dozens of Jeremy Robinson’s books, I thought I knew what to expect. However, Point Nemo managed to surprise me. It definitely has the tone, pacing, and entertainment value one expects from Robinson, but it also stands apart from his other work – if only a little. Perhaps because, as the author reveals in the notes, he wrote it differently and took more time writing it than he typically does. I feel there is a noticeable difference, but I didn’t examine it enough to provide any examples.

The plot is very cool and somewhat unique. Some may find it a smidge derivative of other books that I won’t name. If so, it’s only trace elements and certainly not enough to negatively impact the book. If anything diminishes the quality, it is some of the character digressions and inner dialogue meant to add depth, provide a backstory, and heart, but were ultimately too distracting and stodgy for me. But my heart is a fetid ball of necrosis as black as midnight. So, others probably won’t notice the minor derailments. Those few stuffy interludes are why I gave the story four stars instead of five. Well, that and a surprise toward the end that was super dumb but still didn’t totally ruin it.

Otherwise, Point Nemo has a great and extremely well-executed concept. The book kept me entertained, and it would make a rad movie. I recommend it.

Lastly, RC Bray kills it yet again. He’s the Matt Freeman of narrators: he doesn’t write the shit, but he should get a writing credit for what he adds to it.

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At times it wasn’t awful, sometimes it was annoying, overall it was pretty okay

Revisado: 03-15-24

The main character was annoying af and has to be the dumbest damn brilliant physicist ever created. Otherwise, the story was actually quite well crafted and executed. While I couldn’t stand how incredibly stupid the brilliant physicist was – talk about a dense fkn dude – he basically creates the tools needed to traverse the multiverse but he didn’t understand how the multiverse works?! Really!? Come on man!

I do consider it is a testament to the strength of the writing, because I feel like the dumb brilliant physicist was a real person and don’t at all blame Blake Crouch for his existence. Plus, overall the story was entertaining and original enough that I recommend it with a grain of salt for the dumb damn brilliant physicist.

Also the VO performance is solid. So. If you can’t find a book and ya like scifi and aren’t sick af of multiverse stories thanks to contemporary superhero movies, then you should give this book a go.

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Decent conclusion to a wild ride

Revisado: 03-03-24

I regret that I passed over the Fear Saga for so long. It is a solid and well-crafted SF trilogy. The third book, Fear the Future wraps it up nicely. All three books are extremely well written and original. However, Fear the Future is definitely the weakest installment.

I won’t bother addressing the aspects I disliked because you should read it and none of the negative aspects change that. I have read some reviews lambasting Fear the Future for having all new characters, not being as good as the first two books, or that it is a shitty end/disservice to the trilogy. I don’t understand those complaints at all. The saga is extremely balanced overall, with a very clear and entertaining progression across all three books. It may be that the story is so epic that a lot of folks would be disappointed no matter what was written.

Things get wild. But then again, it’s about an alien invasion! Underneath that, it tells the story of humanity evolving from present-day socio/political systems, structures and technologies, into crazy future/space-faring badasses. The book is globe-spanning, it has action, it’s got science, despotism, betrayal, intrigue, cyborgs, AI, AM, aliens and a female German scientist character who becomes a god (along with some orphans). So. Yes. It is a crazy ride!

Ultimately, I was satisfied with the places Fear the Future went, the story it tells and the way it concludes the saga. So, take the ticket. Ride the ride. It’s worth it.

Additionally, BC Ray fkn kills it every time.

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An Earth and Space Spanning Nonstop Party!

Revisado: 02-24-24

The Fear Saga is one of the better SF series I’ve read in a while. Books 1&2 are anyway. I am about to start the third one. If you are like me and you’ve seen the thumbnail and read the summary and decide to listen to something else, I am going to tell you what I have been telling my son his entire life: DON’T BE LIKE ME! Save yourself the time and energy, quit avoiding me – I mean it! I mean the Fear Saga, not me! Because you aren’t my son – and just go for it. You won’t be disappointed. Unless you hate top quality writing, exciting plots involving alien invasions, mass murdering AI robot assassins, espionage, double agents, an origin story of humanity’s transformation from our present-day obtuseness into a technologically advanced space-faring species, and/or geopolitical thrillers with characters who traverse the globe (and space) to kick ass, take names, and assassinate world leaders, all as part of a quest to save humanity from aliens. I mean. For real y’all. It’s got everything one needs! Except a son who lives him. I mean it. The book. Shit!
Oh, and RC Bray kills it (as usual).

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Sharting in my sleep is more fulfilling than this book

Revisado: 12-14-22

This was not a good book and if it is emblematic of Michael Crichton’s overall work, then I am profoundly perplexed by the author’s success, productivity and demand. Isn’t he basically the John Grisham of Science?

Obviously, I do not know much about him other than he wrote some stuff that was later optimized for the big screen. Regardless, this book was rough. The plot seemed promising, but Crichton gives up trying to maximize and achieve its potential about a third of the way in. He takes a group of scientists and sailors and endows them with outsized egos, approximately zero common sense and an over abundance of pettiness in lieu of intelligence, while also pacing the story with the intensity of an old man sharting himself awake in the middle of the night.

The book is written in a style that screams “Crichton has a twisted sense of himself and misplaced confidence in his own ability.” For example, he utilizes repetition throughout The Sphere, presumably to ratchet up the tension and terror, not realizing he never actually developed the two characteristics in the first place. It completely misfires and leaves the already unlikable characters with nowhere to go except back through the same fkn hoops over and over again. Toward the end it really starts to feel as though the author never learned that redundancy and repetition are not the same thing and one is bad and the other takes training and practice (and talent?) to properly wield as effective writing devices. Instead of suspense and fear, we are left with an exaggerated caricature of yet another unexpected wet fart.

I profoundly disliked the characters their thoughts, personalities, poor decisions and complete lack of ability to drive the plot anywhere but into the ground. Again, the plot was never fully realized and left for dead, which is what you will surely find yourself wishing upon the characters if you ignore this warning and decide to read this book.

Don’t bother with it. Maybe read a Grisham novel instead. Or just watch some telly, like … Real Housewives or wtf ever the Kardashians’ show is called. It will be more satisfying.

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A healthy ego and profound faith in his ability to do wtf ever he wants

Revisado: 12-07-22

I like Matthew McConaughey, not fanatically so, but – minus his romcoms – I can say I like roughly 95% of his movies and probably close to all, if not 100%, of his performances regardless of the overall film. So, I was somewhat interested to hear the stories behind those movies and performances, and curious about his perspective on his career and life, and I guess I was also intrigued by the glimpse into his apparent humanity. Fuck, maybe I am a fanatic after all?

Greenlights provides an abundance of precisely all of those things. At times it was too much. Maybe. Idk. I was definitely happy when it ended, but I also couldn’t help but keep listening to it until it did. The book is surprisingly thoughtful, endearing, entertaining, insightful and even – dare I say – enlightening, if you let it be.

Those aforementioned aspects – stories about his movies, performances and life – were peppered in amidst McConaughey’s white American male (but with empathy and a decent brain) insights, not so decent (but original) poetry, screeds on being a man, being a Texan, a lover, a fighter, an artist, actor, son, brother, father, husband and human. As well as existential pontifications, and philosophical ramblings about straight up L-I-V-I-N and dying.

It occasionally veered close to being a How To book for fanatics and mindless automatons. But if you are remotely curious about the man or his strategy on acting/navigating Hollywood/fame and/or his outlook on life, then you should give this book a go. It isn’t groundbreaking, it (probably) won’t change your life, but Greenlights is certainly alright, alright, alright.

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