Karsa is great from page 1, imo.
For some reason I get strong Robin Hobb-like vibes from him (at least until about where he hooks up with Torvald, another great character). One part of it is probably about the process of growing up, something of the recurrent theme in all Hobb's books. And something about the villages of the Teblor and the faces in the rock... just the general feel of it, when it's from the Teblor's PoV.
(And on my personal "greatest fantasy" list, there are only 2 names above Hobb. Acronymically speaking, they'd be JRRT and SRD.
SE is working his way up there too, but I'll need at least one full reread of MBotF before he'll make a full impact, I guess.
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