Sci-fi and Heroic Fantasy discussion

There are a very short list of books that had a massive impact on me. Shadow of the Torturer by Gene Wolfe (first of a 4-book series) is definitely one of them. The first-person narrative is written so well, so smoothly, so believably. Moreover, the idea of a main character who is a torturer and is dismissed for showing mercy is unlike anything else I had ever seen. The only thing I can compare it to is Terry Goodkind so believably describing a man falling in love with his torturer. Wolfe also addresses the profession unflinchingly, giving descriptions that have stuck with me as powerfully as anything I've ever read.