Duologies? Quadrologies? Are those even words?

[MDavis]

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]

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]

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]

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

[Euan H.]

Originally Posted by Vomaxx

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]

"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]

Originally Posted by Euan H.

...some science-based cult that believes dinosaurs live in UFOs on the moon.

They don't?

[Euan H.]

Originally Posted by Pthom

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?

[Vomaxx]

Originally Posted by Jamesaritchie

"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...