[nuk]

I don't remember what vow Karsa made that led him to killing Fener, nor do I even remember when he was in Darujhistan before. Can someone fill me in?

[Bauchelain the Evil]

In TtH soon after Rake gets killed and Karsa defends his body and Dragnipur from the HoL, Picker, carrying a message from Toc,sent by Hood, tells him to remain in Darujhistan because he needs to kill a god.

[nuk]

Thanks - that sounds vaguely familiar. Did Karsa feel like he owed Hood a favor? Or could he just not pass up the chance to take down a god?

[Gothos]

He also vowed to break Kaminsod's chains. And then kill him.
So, quite indirectly, he made good on that as well.

[Tiste Simeon]

I bet that chuffed him, fulfilling all those vows in one big killing I guess now he is free to wonder off and return to his tribe, hence the Toblakai Trilogy!

[Risca]

If only i had my book here i would reel off the exact quote to the letter but as previously mentioned it is near the end of TTH,
Picker approaches Karsa and tells him that he is to stay in Darujhistan as he will be needed to kill a god, the rest goes something like this, apologies if it is slightly wrong


Picker: 'Toblakai, you will be needed.'
Karsa: 'To do what?'
Picker: 'Why, to kill a god.'
Karsa: 'Which god?'
Picker: 'You were supposed to run away when I told you that.'

Oh and yes it is far to assume that all my initial thoughts on which god this would be back then were utterly wrong, so many twists since then

Whilst we are on the subject of Karsa, i know we only get several glimpses of him in TCG but i think that he is probably one of the characters that has evolved the most since his first appearance in the series and i know he doesn't get much page time in TCG but i think it finishes his role in the story nicely, what is said is said very deliberately and with great effect, what does everyone else think?

[worry]

Oh, guess you weren't referring to his vow of celibacy.

[POOPOO MCBUMFACE]

Risca, on 16 April 2011 - 12:20 AM, said:

Whilst we are on the subject of Karsa, i know we only get several glimpses of him in TCG but i think that he is probably one of the characters that has evolved the most since his first appearance in the series and i know he doesn't get much page time in TCG but i think it finishes his role in the story nicely, what is said is said very deliberately and with great effect, what does everyone else think?

If you haven't read Erikson's blog entry regarding this section, do so. It's pretty heartbreaking. I didn't like Karsa through most of the series - even when he got a bit of character development, I had a recurring fear that he was just going to wander into a carefully-plotted scene being irrelevant, killing characters I liked just because he's Karsa and generally fucking everything up - but having helped my girlfriend deal with the sudden loss of her father over the last few weeks, I found the Munug scenes combined with the Life as a Human entry incredibly poignant. Even if it is just setup for the Karsa trilogy, it was done damn well, and I'm looking forward to seeing where he goes from here.

[Risca]

POOPOO MCBUMFACE, on 16 April 2011 - 06:31 PM, said:

If you haven't read Erikson's blog entry regarding this section, do so. It's pretty heartbreaking. I didn't like Karsa through most of the series - even when he got a bit of character development, I had a recurring fear that he was just going to wander into a carefully-plotted scene being irrelevant, killing characters I liked just because he's Karsa and generally fucking everything up - but having helped my girlfriend deal with the sudden loss of her father over the last few weeks, I found the Munug scenes combined with the Life as a Human entry incredibly poignant. Even if it is just setup for the Karsa trilogy, it was done damn well, and I'm looking forward to seeing where he goes from here.

I had read it back when he originally posted it but after you mentioned it i went back and read it again and it is pretty heartbreaking, i remember thinking how emotional that brief paragraph with Karsa in TCG was and just how true and honest it felt much like Erikson's actual experiences.

oh and in relation to Karsa previously in the series, i grew to like him quite soon after he met with Samar Dev because with her speaking as an outsider (from Toblakai culture if nothing else) it made for some interesting and sometimes funny conversations and one liners between the two mostly but i had wondered for some time just what his role would be come the end of the series (again his disregard for the bigger picture could have placed much loved characters in his way, which would have made for a very different outcome) and although he behaves very differently to earlier in the series it does fit well and makes for a rather poignant true to life paragraph, it may well be setup for the trilogy, i hope he maintains some of his maturity? seriousness perhaps? that he had in TCG however i would miss his one liners and plain brutishness at other moments if he became all to thoughtful and serious.

[Tatterdemalion]

Not to downplay the writing of all others characters in the book, but I'd say Karsa changed more in HoC even than most others did in 10 books. Then changed again in book 6, again in 7, and then again in 8. His growth is given considerable time and patience by Erikson, and I love it. I love rereading DG and comparing that Toblaki, or from the start of HoC, to Karsa in Darujistan. He is the same guy, but so much more scope in his vision and wisdom. Such casting away of adolescence and its base desires to become a being of sophistication. Like Crokus/Cutter only x 100.