Duologies? Quadrologies? Are those even words?

MDavis · Mar 17, 2006

Are publishers inclined to shy away from multi book projects that aren't trilogies? I've finished my first novel and am halfway through the second, but I only imagine them as two complementing, stand-alone stories. I also have an idea for another pair of stories set about a hundred years later.

Does anyone know of any series marketed as "duologies" or "quadrologies?" I can only think of the Oathbound series by Mercedes Lackey, and Valdemar was already an established series when she wrote those.

Thanks!

sacredmime · Mar 17, 2006

Lynn Flewelling considers the first 2 books of her nightrunner series (Luck in the Shadows & Stalking Darkness) as a duology. Although, the third book had the same characters, the first 2 were written with one central plot in mind.

Vomaxx · Mar 17, 2006

A four-volume work is a "tetralogy".

A two-volume work might well be a "biology", but it isn't. "Duology" is not a word, AFAIK, and I'm not sure there is an 'official' word for a two-volume work, although "duo" might serve.

Lyra Jean · Mar 17, 2006

Otherland series by Tad Williams is four books with approximately 800 pages/book.

Euan H. · Mar 19, 2006

Vomaxx said:
A four-volume work is a "tetralogy".

A two-volume work might well be a "biology", but it isn't. "Duology" is not a word, AFAIK, and I'm not sure there is an 'official' word for a two-volume work, although "duo" might serve.

The prefix would be 'di-' rather than the cardinal 'duo'. So the word would be 'diology', which sounds like some science-based cult that believes dinosaurs live in UFOs on the moon.

victoriastrauss · Mar 19, 2006

"Duology" is used for a two-volume work. Sean Russell has written several of them.

Or you can just let the publisher know you're working on a sequel.

- Victoria

Pthom · Mar 19, 2006

Euan H. said:
...some science-based cult that believes dinosaurs live in UFOs on the moon.

They don't?

Jamesaritchie · Mar 20, 2006

Vomaxx said:
A four-volume work is a "tetralogy".

A two-volume work might well be a "biology", but it isn't. "Duology" is not a word, AFAIK, and I'm not sure there is an 'official' word for a two-volume work, although "duo" might serve.

"Duology" is a word, and a frequently used one, at that. It has one foot in Greek, one foot in Latin, but it's been a word almost forever.

Those who say it isn't a word because it's part Greek and part Latin aren't very fluent in Latin. Latin is largely based on ancient Greek, and a great many Latin words are part Greek, part Latin.

Just Google the word and see how many writers out there have written duologies, or how many publishers and movie companies have released them.

Euan H. · Mar 20, 2006

Pthom said:
They don't?

No. That's Elvis, and Jimmy Hoffa. As any fule know, dinosaurs live only on islands in South and Central America; didn't you see Jurassic Park?

Pthom · Mar 20, 2006

oh, right. I forgot. But it's a nice image: dinosaurs living on the moon. About like dragons on Pern.

Vomaxx · Mar 20, 2006

Jamesaritchie said:
"Duology" is a word, and a frequently used one, at that. It has one foot in Greek, one foot in Latin, but it's been a word almost forever.

Those who say it isn't a word because it's part Greek and part Latin aren't very fluent in Latin. Latin is largely based on ancient Greek, and a great many Latin words are part Greek, part Latin.

Just Google the word and see how many writers out there have written duologies, or how many publishers and movie companies have released them.

Thank you for this scholarly correction, O Absolute Sage. If you have a spare moment, could you e-mail Dictionary.com and Merriam-Webster Online with the news that duology is a word? They forgot to include it.

(I'm sure that duology is a word, in the sense that alright and ain't are words.)

Thanks also for the information that Latin is "largely based on ancient Greek."
I didn't know that. Neither does the chart in my dictionary, which shows Greek and Italic as quite separate, although both related to Indo-European. And I can't recall this being mentioned by any of the Jesuits who taught me Latin for four years. But of course I'm sure you're right...

Euan H. · Mar 20, 2006

Pthom said:
oh, right. I forgot. But it's a nice image: dinosaurs living on the moon. About like dragons on Pern.

Well . . . Elvis is a rock dinosaur, does that count?

Vomaxx said:
And I can't recall this being mentioned by any of the Jesuits who taught me Latin for four years.

Jesuits being known for their frank and open ways, of course. . .

MDavis · Mar 21, 2006

Oh what fun to throw a question about a word's existance into the middle of a pack of writers

This has been very helpful, actually. I definitely like the word "tetralogy" better than "quadrology." And I do think we should tell the big dictionary companies of their glaring oversight. Afterall, if publishers can use "duology" as a literary term, shouldn't it be in the dictionary?

Duologies? Quadrologies? Are those even words?

MDavis

The Brunette She-Ra

sacredmime

Esteemed New Member

Vomaxx

Lyra Jean

Two years old now.

Euan H.

Unspeakable

victoriastrauss

Writer Beware Goddess

Pthom

Word butcher

Jamesaritchie

Euan H.

Unspeakable

Pthom

Word butcher

Vomaxx

Euan H.

Unspeakable

MDavis

The Brunette She-Ra