I thought this story was an incredibly charming tale about the power of fiction to preserve and empower. My life growing up wasn't quite as unstable as poor Tackman's, but I had my share of bad stuff. I often felt like the characters I loved were becoming a part of me, making me strong, teaching me right from crazy in a way that my parents couldn't - my wife likes to say that she has Captain James T. Kirk and Frodo Baggins to thank for me being a decent person, and she's only half joking.
I particularly liked how the villains were, in their way, also Tackman's protectors. They might not have been good, nice, or appealing, but they existed to teach lessons and provide an escape.
Anyway, the long and the short of it is that I loved this story. More Gene Wolfe, please.
Oh, incidentally I also loved the shit out of the torturer series. I recommend it without reservation to everyone, right now.