The final season of the fantasy epic Game of Thrones may have left more than a few fans wanting more - but one fantasy academic believes it could have been wrapped up three seasons earlier.
Dunedin-based fantasy literature academic Dr Joseph Young has just published a study of the work of George R.R. Martin and his fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire, on which the television show is based.
Dr Young, who has a doctorate in modern fantasy literature, said the common understanding of Martin's work was that it defied the conventions of the fantasy genre.
![Dr Joseph Young wrote a book about the work of George R. R. Martin and his fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire. Photo / Linda Robertson](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/v2/RCDO674HGKWOYQ4KAGXI4H4BZ4.jpg?auth=7d9c3d81e16d5c924a255112c8e3adc05cffaf2d7eba65cab0d8dd253c3e0309&width=16&height=14&quality=70&smart=true)
But his monograph George R.R. Martin and the Fantasy Form argues it is the author's following of the rules that made his writing so enthralling, he said.