Messiah really picks up after Paul is blinded. Children is much more action-oriented, then God Emperor is abstract and weird. Heretics and Chapterhouse are weirdly horny but otherwise the most "space opera" novels in the series with much more clear heroes and villains than the earlier books.
OT: The Avalounge (mod warning - No Politics)
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McMetal
Writer of Wrongs
I also tend to lean towards fantasy novels these days. The Dark Tower is one of my favorite stories of all time (I actually do consider that to be kind of a gritty fantasy, in a structural sense). I'm also absolutely in love with The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher. Absolutely white-knuckle gripping urban fantasy with a likeable but flawed protagonist. Brandon Sanderson is also wonderful, but my god, it's so hard to keep up with everything he's doing. The guy makes Stephen King look lazy.
expatriatedtexan
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I need to pick up some more Butcher novels. I found the season on TV before I was aware of the books. Loved that show (freaking wizard has a hockey stick for a staff... HELLO!!!). My wife picked up the first novel and I read and liked it but just didn't go further down the hole. Sounds like I should though. Thanks for that recommendation.
Trying to imagine a way to now compare Sanderson's or King's output to GRRM.
If you like fantasy and don't mind an EXTREMELY flawed protagonist. I would "recommend" the Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever. Let's just say the guy did something nobody ever should do and which damn near destroyed the entire series for me. This is a high fantasy series whose central character is a cynical leper from our world. It's not for children.
Just looked it up while typing this and did not realize he had written a final four book series (The Last Chronicles of Thomas Covenant). Thinking I might tackle a reread and include those once I get done with the Asimov re-read.
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McMetal
Writer of Wrongs
The books get more polished as the series goes on. Storm Front was his debut novel, he started to really dial it in about 4 books in. I can't recommend it enough.
expatriatedtexan
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Look, I know we're not supposed to go political and do truly understand the tensions between my country and my southern friends in Canada.
But seriously... McDonalds was already a dying corpse of a brand. They've already turned every kid in the 70s best day ever into this monolithic grey corporate suck entity that wants to sell you shit coffee for starbuck's prices (like starbucks isn't shit to begin with). But to even further debase the once great brand by renaming it after the most unsuccesful Canadian star in history...
Low blow Canada. Low blow.
When I first read the headline it made me Grimace.
But seriously... McDonalds was already a dying corpse of a brand. They've already turned every kid in the 70s best day ever into this monolithic grey corporate suck entity that wants to sell you shit coffee for starbuck's prices (like starbucks isn't shit to begin with). But to even further debase the once great brand by renaming it after the most unsuccesful Canadian star in history...
Low blow Canada. Low blow.
When I first read the headline it made me Grimace.
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McMetal
Writer of Wrongs
Every time I go into a McDonald's it feels like I've traveled 50 years into the future into one of those sci-fi dystopias where everything looks bright and clean but is actually hiding a terrible dark secret underneath the surface.
expatriatedtexan
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Like I said, it's gone from an acid dream inspired puppet driven disney land fantasy that every single town in america had one of or was close enough to one to make no difference really... and then they just looked at Starbucks and said... hey, what if we just paint everything to look like some unidentifiable brown/grey drab corporate suck. The kind of place that looks like it should be in the basement of skyscraper full of nothing but cubical farmers who don't have windows. It's gone from GenX's wet-dream to a nightmare of Lovecraftian proportions.
BaconNater
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expatriatedtexan
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I can tell you a few to avoid.
Basically ever rack on a boat when you are in duty stations is a good start unless you are a fan of lice that share a name with a tasty brachyura.
My brethren has back issues and he bought a Sleep Number. Really helped him, but his was around 4k I do believe. I think spending more for a mattress is essential, better sleep can prolong life, lead to healthier lives, and more productivity.
expatriatedtexan
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I'm sorry... but I can't help but thinking of my uncle and his Ford Econline Van with the spray painted fantasy artwork and the big waterbed in the back. *LOL*
I absolutely love my uncle but he really was Matthew McConnaughy (sp?).
McMetal
Writer of Wrongs
Yeah, that's an item worth spending your money on to get it right.
I have a memory foam mattress, which is very comfortable, but the downside is that it traps heat VERY well. Your body heat will soak into it really quickly. In the winter, that's not so bad, but in the summer it makes it very hard to stay cool. So it's a tradeoff for me. I'm probably going to try something else with my next mattress purchase.
Google tried to take away Ublock Origin from me 
Yeah, I feel you. That's why I personally look for a cooling mattress. I got a pretty solid one now, but when I make the change, I am not going to be cheap by any means. Not sure if it is a marketing gimmick or the science behind it, but supposedly it works. Dr. Sholl used to make a mattress or was partnered with another company to make one and it was one of the BEST I ever experienced in a mattress store. I was still in school then, so I was a poor college bloke, but yeah I am definitely very much considering that if they still make beds.
expatriatedtexan
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I know, right?Google tried to take away Ublock Origin from me
Yesterday was like the third time it's happened to me. I thought it was because I have two accounts on chrome... one for while at work and one for at home and just figured the work administrators had booted it from our network or something.
Then got home and, same thing. I've been trying to get to the bottom of it because this isn't the first time. Happened a couple of years ago as well, and apparently it's got something to do with changing the underlying extension specification... I guess the new one is called Manifest V3. Apparently the extension at play was built using Manifest V2 or some such BS.
Personally, I think since Google owns Chrome, they are just doing everything they can to break and block ad-supression since that's such a huge part of their revenue chain.
