The Prince of Winterfell Theon, who had ordered his sister to send 500 men to help him hold the castle. Yara reveals she has come to Winterfell to bring him back home because his decision to execute the Stark boys will only bring the wrath of all the North down on his head. Despite Yara's pleas, Theon refuses because he fears that he will be seen as a coward if he abandons Winterfell. Maester Luwin sees the wildling Osha stealing bread and retreating to the crypts beneath Winterfell. He follows her and discovers that both Bran and Rickon are alive and well. Osha explains
A Game of Thrones imagery." Phyllis Eisenstein of the "Chicago Sun-Times" wrote that, although the book uses many generic fantasy tropes, Martin's approach is "so refreshingly human and intimate that it transcends them." She described it as "an absorbing combination of the mythic, the sweepingly historical, and the intensely personal." John Prior, writing in the "San Diego Union-Tribune", called Martin's writing "strong and imaginative, with plenty of Byzantine intrigue and dynastic struggle", and compared it to Robert Jordan's "Wheel of Time" books, "though much darker, with no comedy or romance to relieve the nastiness." A Game of Thrones A Game of Thrones is the