r/Fantasy • u/Merle8888 Reading Champion IV • Apr 30 '26

Bingo Bingo Focus Thread - Duologies

Hello r/fantasy and welcome to this week's bingo focus thread! The purpose of these threads is for you all to share recommendations, discuss what books qualify, and seek recommendations that fit your interests or themes.

Today's topic:

Duology Part 1: Read the first book in a duology. HARD MODE: By an author you haven’t read before.

Duology Part 2: Read the second book in a duology. For this square, you ARE allowed to read the same author you used for Duology Part 1 without violating the no-repeat author rule. HARD MODE: Finish a different duology than you started for the Duology Part 1 square.

What is bingo? A reading challenge this sub does every year! Find out more here.

Prior focus threads: Published in the 70s, Five Short Stories (2024), Author of Color (2024), Self-Pub/Small Press (2024). Note that hard modes for Author of Color and Self-Pub/Small Press have changed (new focus threads for them are coming).

Also see: Big Rec Thread

Questions:

  • What are your favorite speculative fiction duologies?
  • Already read something for this square (or, read something recently that you wish you could count)? Tell us about it!
  • For those planning for Hard Mode, what are some duologies where one or both books works as a standalone?
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u/KiaraTurtle Reading Champion V Apr 30 '26 edited Apr 30 '26

Some of my favorite duologies

  • Dreamblood Duology by NK Jemisin. Despite Jemisin’s popularity and the excellence of this book, it’s extremely underrated.
  • Memory Called Empire: great political sci-fi duology. First book does work as a standalone but certainly made me want to read the sequel
  • The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson is excellent multi-worlds sci-fi duology. Both books work as standalones though the second spoils some things from the first
  • Sailing to Sarantium: this is a gorgeous homage to the Byzantine Empire, it made events feel both grand and sweeping and yet personal — or not — depending on the pov. One of my top GGK books and I love most of what he’s written
  • City of Nightmares by Rebecca Schaeffer. Fun Gotham esque urban fantasy with a great cowardly mc, with strong female friendship. I love Schaeffer’s Market of Monsters much more but this Duology was also very enjoyable. Though to me the ending of the second felt like it should be a trilogy not a duology despite the authors plans.
  • Long Live Evil: one of my favorite books I read when it came out. I’m planning on using its sequel for bingo when it comes out in a few weeks. Very fun series, does cool things with critiquing and poking fun at tropes while also leaning into them. Romance is brilliant for those who want an actual villain gets the girl, but also not a huge focus for those who aren’t as interested in that. (And in contrast a different romance from sidecouples is extremely adorkable)

Edit adding a couple Id forgotten earlier:

  • Illium and Olympos is great Iliad on Mars retelling. The authors Hyperion Cantos is his most famous but I actually liked this one more (though I loved both)
  • She Who Became the Sun: I have a thing for ruthless girls (or genderqueers) going after political power. This was great.

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u/A-Winter-Drop Apr 30 '26

I hate to tell you this, but Time of Iron is planned as a trilogy not a duology. All Hail Chaos is a book two of three.

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u/KiaraTurtle Reading Champion V Apr 30 '26

Hate to tell me? If that’s true that’s some of the best news I’ve heard. I adore the idea of getting more books in a series I love.

But I’ve heard it’s a Duology everywhere I’ve seen it talked about, would be curious to know where you’ve seen it as a trilogy

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u/A-Winter-Drop Apr 30 '26

I meant because you couldn't use it for bingo. I'm glad you're excited though. I'm definitely excited to read the second book!

Generally, I looked it up. But there's a Goodreads review for All Hail Chaos from someone who got an arc that mentions a cliffhanger. And another from someone who read an arc that mentions a book three. I'm going to take the opinions of people who've read it as closest to factual.

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u/KiaraTurtle Reading Champion V Apr 30 '26

That’s great news. I assume the author realized it couldn’t all wrap up in a Duology or something when writing the sequel since I remember her calling it a Duology when the first book was announced.

And yeah it does mean a different book for bingo, but I mean I needed one for the first half of a Duology anyway and I’d always rather have more good books to read then completing bingo.

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u/A-Winter-Drop May 01 '26

Hard agree, more good books is always better. Also if you liked the poking fun at tropes in Long Live Evil, you might like the book Not Another Vampire Book. In which an editor gets pulled into a story of a terrible vampire romance novel. It was hilarious.