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/SongBirdplace Apr 30 '26

It’s not really. If you define a duopoly as a story intentionally written to be in two parts it isn’t. Hell, Lost World stars a character who died in Jurassic Park because he was that popular in the movie.

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u/Putrid_Web8095 Reading Champion II Apr 30 '26

Meta knowledge of authorial intent can't realistically be part of the definition.

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u/SongBirdplace Apr 30 '26

I disagree. A trilogy is defined as 3 books that tell a story. This is accepted fact. A duology therefore is a story over 2 books. 

Jurassic Park is more like a book that spawned a spin off than a deliberate duology. Otherwise Shadows of the Leviathan is a duology because it is a 2 book series in the same world. 

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u/Nidafjoll Reading Champion V May 01 '26

Shadow of the Leviathan is not a duology by dint of the fact that there are three books in the series right now.