Books like The Shadow of the Torturer by Gene Wolfe

Set on the desert planet Arrakis, Dune follows Paul Atreides as he rises from betrayed heir to the enigmatic Muad'Dib, guarding the precious spice melange that fuels galactic politics and extends life.

In The Name of the Wind, a young orphan named Kvothe tells the tale of his rise from street player to legendary wizard, recounting adventures, love, and loss in a richly imagined world.

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Inspector Tyador Borlú journeys from Besźel to Ul Qoma to investigate the murder of a woman, navigating two distinct cities that both share one physical space yet have separate identities.

In the grim, alchemical city of New Crobuzon, scientist Isaac Underwood faces a half-bird, half-human Garuda and a ravenous caterpillar that threatens the entire metropolis.

A crew of remade prisoners aboard a massive ship is diverted to a floating city of pirate hulls when pirates strike, forcing them to navigate a bizarre, oppressive society and uncover a deadly secret beneath the waves.

A children's fantasy retelling of George, the Red Cross Knight, slaying a dragon in medieval England and bringing peace and joy to the land.

The first novel in the Gormenghast series, a gothic fantasy tale of the Gormenghast family and castle.

Score, Pixel, and Renald: A Magical Quest in the Diadem Universe

A teenage girl’s battle with her own reflection confronts themes of self‑image, self‑harm, and supernatural doppelgängers in a fantasy tale aimed at young adults.

A tale of an Englishman shipwrecked in a land of tiny people, leading to fantastical adventures and a mystery involving giants and castaways.

Prince in a Demon's Realm

"Torture is banned because it is cruel and inhumane. But as Shane O'Mara writes in this account of the human brain under stress, another reason torture should never be condoned is because it does not work the way torturers assume it does. In countless films and TV shows such as Homeland and 24, torture is portrayed as a harsh necessity. If cruelty can extract secrets that will save lives, so be it. CIA officers and others conducted torture using precisely this justification. But does torture accomplish what its defenders say it does? For ethical reasons, there are no scientific studies of torture. But neuroscientists know a lot about how the brain reacts to fear, extreme temperatures, starvation, thirst, sleep deprivation, and immersion in freezing water, all tools of the torturer's trade. These stressors create problems for memory, mood, and thinking, and sufferers predictably produce information that is deeply unreliable--and, for intelligence purposes, even counterproductive. As O'Mara guides us through the neuroscience of suffering, he reveals the brain to be much more complex than the brute calculations of torturers have allowed, and he points the way to a humane approach to interrogation, founded in the science of brain and behavior. Torture may be effective in forcing confessions, as in Stalin's Russia. But if we want information that we can depend on to save lives, O'Mara writes, our model should be Napoleon: 'It has always been recognized that this way of interrogating men, by putting them to torture, produces nothing worthwhile.'" -- Publisher's description

A whimsical children's fantasy adventure that explores friendship and self‑esteem through charming characters in a world where courage and kindness shine brighter than any magic.