I was hoping Dinkage would be around more.

but..does that mean Game of Thrones is going to be over, at last?

As of the last book Dance of Dragons, there are story lines that continue, characters whose fates remain undetermined and two unwritten books yet to be done.

I'm reading book five right now (almost done with it) and Tyrion is still very much alive. The up coming season four of the TV version is supposed to cover the second half of book three (season 1 = book 1, season 2 = book 2, season 3 = 1/2 book 3).

I'm a little fuzzy on how they are going to do books 4 & 5... The books are done in a way in which each chapter title is the name of the character whose point of view that chapter is told from... By books 4 & 5, there are so many freakin characters that they actually take place at the same time... They each have half the characters but cover around the same time period (though book 5 goes a little further in time), so I could see those two books taking four seasons... A minimum of three seasons I would think. Then there are supposed to be two more books that are not yet released... There is a lot more years of Game of Thrones still to come.

All that said... There are only ten episodes of it a year as is the norm for most HBO series so I expect Peter Dinklage would be able to handle two series a year.

and kept waitng for a resolution of any of the characters.
But no..they still are wandering around the landscape.
and there are some plot lines that were hanging from earlier segments which are not even addressed
in books 3-4-5...
Got to admit the backdrops/scenery is fascinating in the series, the characters compelling and fun to watch,
so plot holes may be a minor issue in comparison.

Dinklage may have still another season or two to go if the TV series keeps to the books. (I hope that wasn't a spoiler for you.) Since George R. R. Martin is dragging is feet completing the sixth and seventh book of the series, I don't know what they would do if there was a schedule conflict. His character in Game of Thrones is too central to the books.

Television Blend has an article up:

Peter Dinklage Eyed For Beasts of Valhalla HBO Pilot Adaptation?

Peter Dinklage is reportedly being eyed for a TV adaptation of popular sci-fi fantasy series The Beasts of Valhalla. At this point, it sounds like there has been some correspondence between the Game of Thrones star and Farscape writer Justin Monjo, who's developing the book for a pilot for HBO, and from what he says, HBO thinks Dinklage is "the perfect guy" for this role.

This report originated at IF.com.au, which states that Farscape writer Justin Monjo is working on a pilot for HBO with Ben Stiller's Red Hour Films, based on George C. Chesbro's The Beasts of Valhalla. According to Amazon's description of the book, Beasts blends sci-fi and fantasy with a classic detective style. Published in 1985, Beasts of Valhalla is the fourth book published in Chesbro's Mongo series.

From what IF reports, Monjo read the books years ago but wasn't able to come up with an actor suitable for the lead character, a sleuth named Mongo, until he saw Peter Dinklage play Tyrion in Game of Thrones. The actor is being eyed to star as "a dwarf detective" in the adaptation.

Though IF's article doesn't outright specify, Monjo is presumably the source of this information, as IF has a direct quote from the writer, who says, "HBO and Red Hour think he's the perfect guy for the part and are very excited about the project." The article goes on to state that Monjo is headed to New York next month to speak with Dinklage about this role.

http://www.cinemablend.com/television/Peter-Dinklage-Eyed-Beasts-Valhalla-HBO-Pilot-Adaptation-62418.html

Some of this article is simply wrong though... Mongo is NOT a sci-fi fantasy series. It is absolutely a detective series. Some of the books do contain some sci-fi/fantasy themes... And certainly The Beasts of Valhalla does more then any of the others, the series is very much grounded in reality. Beasts concerns Mongo and Garth investigating a scientist who wants to 'de-evolve' humanity in order to save it from itself, so it does go into some sci-fi/fantasy elements but it is first and foremost a hard boiled detective story. Mongo's cases are always interesting... An Affair of Sorcerers has Mongo investigating a coven... The Cold Smell of Sacred Stone has Garth kidnapped and turned into a faith healer...

It does look like they are going to start with Beasts, which is a really good place but... They really need to follow the progression in order to get the most out of it, Two Songs This Archangel Sings, The Cold Smell of Sacred Stone (the three of them together are almost a trilogy) and even Second Horseman Out of Eden... Together these four are the heart and soul of the Mongo series and for them to do it right, they are going to need someone very special to play Mongo's brother Garth, who ends up being a lot of the reason for the events of these stories. My first pick would have been James Gandolfini... He was the best at going from a jovial, regular guy to a menacing killer in just a few seconds and that will be key to getting Garth, and the story right. I'm not sure who would fit the bill.

I really hope this happens... The whole Beasts arc would make for a good four years of some excellent stories and even open it up for a potential spinoff with Veil (kind of a modern day Robin Hood character but just a bit more violent) just as Chesbro did a spinoff series of books with the character.

HBO's track record for giving a proper finish/end to its series is dismal to say the least. Deadwood, Carnivale, Rome, Enlightened.....just off the top of my head. They are notorious for sucking viewers into great stories for a few seasons and then out of the blue---that's all folks! I cancelled them after Deadwood and don't ever plan on signing up again. I figure I'll catch GoT on Netflix someday, when I know the story is not going to leave me hanging. Sorry, but I no longer trust HBO to do right by it's viewers, even if the story is popular and has a large following. I hope Mongo will be an exception.

I'd still take even one season of Mongo in a heartbeat