By Katherine
Everyone makes a big deal about trilogies, such as Hunger Games, Divergent, and Eragon. If not trilogies, then the longer series, like Harry Potter, Twilight and Percy Jackson. Hollywood may not complete the entire series (think Narnia), or they may extend a series into more films then books (do I really have which ones?). In any case, I thought it might be nice to take a look at a few books that are a part of a very rare series: the duology. As the name implies, there are only two books in a set. Sometimes they are the first book and a sequel (maybe the author gave up after two?), but they are more likely to be written as a pair. These authors managed to create a vibrant, exciting world, full of intrigue and action, yet are still able to contain their imaginations into two books only.
Eon/Eona by Alison Goodman – What do you do when you live in a world where you gifts will never be accepted by others, simply because you were born a girl? This is the conundrum of Eon. Actually her name is Eona, but she’s been raised as a boy since birth because she has a rare gift: the ability to practise Dragon Magic. She has been training for years to become an apprentice to a Dragoneye, the men with the greatest Dragon Magic who are able to connect with one of the mighty twelve dragons. Problem is, Dragon Magic is forbidden to girls and the penalty for discovery is death. But when she is brought to the attention of the Emperor, Eona is thrust into a political landscape where power is not just a currency but the only way to survive.
Red Necklace/Silver Blade by Sally Gardner is a fascinating historical tale set during the French Revolution. Yann is an orphan, who would have ended up in far worse circumstances if Tetu, the dwarf, hadn’t chosen to take Yann in and train him as a performer. One night, while performing for the Marquis, Yann meets Sido, a girl caught between her foolish father and the cruel Count Kalliovski, who wants to marry her. Wishing to set her free, Yann helps Sido to escape, only to be thrown into the havoc of the French Revolution and Count Kalliovski hot on their trail. For those of you who are Tom Hiddleston fans, he does a marvelous performance of all the characters on the audiobook. You can find it on YouTube.
Archetype/Prototype – by M.D. Waters takes readers to what could be the near future. Emma wakes up in the hospital to realise that her memories are gone. But what Emma does have is her artwork. Her husband Declan is at her side slowly helping her to regain past, but as time moves on, Emma’s painting begins to awaken memories of another man and another life in the dark slums. As Emma returns to her glitzy, high class life as the wife of a powerful man, her dreams take on new meaning when the man she dreams about appears before her. As memories blur and reality is called into question, Emma must choose which life she wants and where her heart truly lies.
You have to admit, it’s pretty impressive what these authors have managed to do. Though I’m sure, if given a chance, Hollywood would find a way to turn two books into an endless, drawn out struggle between two rival factions fighting for a better cinematic future. Enjoy J
Katherine wishes that she could live in a land (or a galaxy) far, far away. Since she can’t, she lives in the next best thing: amid the pages of any fantasy she can find.
