Anyone else hate warging?

[johnnysd]

I know I am in the minority but was wondering if others dislike the whole warging thing as much as I do. I find the whole concept trite, oversued, repetitive and really boring.

I could go the rest of my life without hearing about "the taste of blood after a fresh kill" and related nonsense. I find the wolf dreams in WOT to be just as tedious as Bran and John's warging.

Not suprisingly, I find the Bran and John storylines be my least favorites.

I LOVE this books, but the warging is my least favorite element. For what its worth I view this differently than the bond to the direweolves and how they parallel the Stark characters.I like that element, and actually look forward to Aryas reunion with Nymeria

Anyone with me?

[ARYa_Nym]

I like it to a point. I don't like when it becomes a violation like what Varamyr did and what Bran is doing to Hodor.

Bran is a child though who just needs to be disciplined.

[Arch-MaesterPhilip]

The warging and dragons aren't amongst my favorite elements of the story.

[Greywolf2375]

I enjoy it - I think it is a very interesting use of a powerful magic that doesn't end in a fireball exploding. As far as how Varamyr used it & how Bran/Hodor during and after the time Bran controlled Hodor, that gives us a glimpse of just how powerful and fraught with danger the use of this ability is. A very difficult moral question for Bran - who knows, can he actually completely push aside Hodor and become the knight he wants to be?

Can it be overused, absolutely - never read WoT so I don't know about similar uses there though.

[Lady Hodor]

I agree it has been used a lot. And I find that the human characters in ASOIAF are the far more interesting and clever plotlines.

But GRRM included dragons, and if he only had them as the "magic" side to the story, it would seem narrow to only have one element of magic.

[Errant Bard]

You're not hating warging, you're hating the repetition as mutliple characters discover the same thing? Martin does it for more than warging.

I think that as a magical power, it's pretty neat, as it doesn't even give the user any real advantage in the narrative. Mastering the sword or being charismatic would be way more useful, yet it gives the characters something distinctive. I like it. When it doesn't take too much space.

[Groat]

Controlling animals is a classic type of magical power in fantasy, and Martin's specific take on it as "warging" is somewhat original at least. I always liked the scene when Brand, Rickon, Hodor, and Osha are about to come out of the crypts of Winterfell and Bran opens his 3rd eye briefly to check it out, and comes back quickly.

[WinterWarrior]

I disagree, I love the warging and wish I could warg with one of my cats...but alas I can't.

The direwolves are my favorite characters, after Arya and Tyrion. Nymeria rules!!!

[Errant Bard]

Damn, if I could warg I would never do it to a cat. From what we saw, it's an horrific mind-rape. Cats are cool because they are their own feline. Servitude for them? Eww.

Dogs are fine for that sort of stuff. That and republicans.

[Darth Rivers]

I hate it. It ruins the atmosphere of the story for me, so I try to get past warging chapters as quickly as possible. I also quite dislike prophecies, but I guess fantasy authors just can't go without those.

[Woman of War]

I have to admit that I like the conventionally obvious fantasy elements like using animal power less than the interaction between characters which is kind of stupid because I explicitly chose to read a fantasy story.

But I just hate sentimental stories where animals are humanized like Lassie, Flipper or Black Beauty. And though I am a good rider I never understood that girlish horse sentimentality. The best you can do for animals is protecting their dignity as what they are and have a right to be: animals and not proteine on legs. So indeed warging is not so very fascinating for me. And my cat has a magical power of his own, I guess he always wargs me on my way to the fridge.

BUT I LOOOOVE DRAGONS! Only I want them independent and wild, not subdued and warged. Who wants to communicate with them should deserve it by using his brain and his personal courage, not some inborn random abilities.

[Crown]

I agree it has been used a lot. And I find that the human characters in ASOIAF are the far more interesting and clever plotlines.

But GRRM included dragons, and if he only had them as the "magic" side to the story, it would seem narrow to only have one element of magic.

At first, I hoped there wouldn't be any magic at all, but as it is slowly being introduced to the story I seem to like it.

[Val the Wildling Princess]

I love it, I enjoy every mention of warging in the books, but I can understand that some people can get tired of it. I hate dragons, I'm sick of dragons and the most of the people seem to love them. Just a matter of taste.

[Bride of Winter]

I absolutely love it. but then again, I adore everything about the northern storyline.

I really like how it's not cliche or fantastical. it's dark, and can be very violating (with Bran and Hodor). Jon and Robb are/were reluctant to embrace their abilities, Arya and Bran break a good majority of the rules. It's not some 1 dimensional ~magical ability~ just tacked onto the side. it's a real facet of the story, with real consequences.

plus, direwolves > dragons. it is known.

[bloodymime]

For someone who wanted to write something a litte different than the standard fantasy fare it's a surprise Martin whipped out one of the biggest story cliches at the end of the first book. He must have something twisted up his sleeve to turn that ho hum tale of dragons on its head.

[Val the Wildling Princess]

I absolutely love it. I adore everything about the northern storyline.

plus, direwolves > dragons. it is known.

It is known! :cool4:

[Grumpy Midget]

Not so much warging in itself but the fact that EVERY Stark kid can do it. Lameoh

[Lord Balbi]

Actually I remember my relief when realized Bran was not going to be turned into a werewolf. I considered it when he started having his wolf dreams. That would be really lame.

[Woman of War]

I do not particularly care for House or family loyalty, so I find all those inborn abilities a bit cliché. Northern - Southern, that's geography not compelling characters. I care for fascinating individuals who only happen to be of Stark or Lannister or Dorne origin. First of all I do not want them to be cardboard stereotypes with given inborn attributes rather than developed personalities.

And I prefer magic to slip into the story slowly and casually, the more creepy it is. Blatantly obvious would destroy everything.

[Tyrionthebest]

Not so much warging in itself but the fact that EVERY Stark kid can do it. Lameoh

THIS . Why didn't Martin made the warging exclusively to Bran ? It would have worked better and it wouldn't seem so repetitive .