Finished Carrion Comfort by Dan Simmons and have nothing additional to say. All in all, definitely not as good as a fantasy ficiton book. With the modern setting it's just fiction, not fantasy fiction, no matter these creatures with their Ability. The creatures aren't really interesting anyway. And there's no mystery.

The Blade Itself (Book one) by Joe Abercrombie
Like the sample. Told from the point of view (first person-good) of a torturer, who's in the middle of torturing someone. What is it about torture that's so nice to read about? Have I ever read a book with torture in it that I didn't like? Geez.

I should make a list of all the books I've read that had torture in it, that I liked. I should probably put a torture scene in the book I'm "writing".

Off the top of my head, Hobb's Farseer, etc series, Vance's emphryio, Leiber's Grey Mouser, Abercrombie's Blade Itself.... eh. It's there over and over again but it's strange how little a lasting impression, something so ghastly leaves. I've surely forgotten it over and over again. Drizzt and Brent Weeks must have surely had it...