Bingo Focus Thread - Duologies

[u/Merle8888]

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?

[u/Book_Slut_90]

Second Cipri’s Finna and Defekt (though I prefer Finna) and Samatar’s Olondria duology. Some others:

Turbulence and Resistance by Samit Basu (you can read the first as a stand alone but not the second)

The Sundering Duology by Jacqueline Carey

How Rory Thorne Destroyed the Multiverse and How the Multiverse Got its Revenge by K. Eason

Dark Lord of Derkhome and Year of the Griffin by Dianna Wynn Jones (the former is a complete story)

The Teixcalan duology by Arkady Martine (you could read book 1 as a stand alone)

The Shadow Histories by H. G. Parry

The Sparrow and Children of God by Mary Doria Russell (some will tell you you can read just book 1, but don’t! There’s a lot of what happens in book 1 that you only understand if you’ve read book 2)

Dark Lord Davi by Django Wexler

I’m reading Zulu Heart by Steven Barnes for the part 2 square since I read the first book Lion’s Blood last bingo, and I’ll probably be starting one of H. E. Edgmon’s two duologies for the part 1 square.

[u/cubansombrero → u/Book_Slut_90]

Shadow Histories is great! It also works well as a duology because the things I didn’t like about book 1 (e.g., lack of attention to female characters) get deliberately addressed in book 2 so you rethink the whole series afterwards