The Shadow of the Torturer, Volume One of the Book of the New Sun (One)

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Average rating: 9.33

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Community Reviews

wdkilpackiii
Mar 05, 2026
10/10 stars
There are a very short list of books that had a massive impact on me. 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. Highly recommended!

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