Divergent (book series)

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Divergent
Divergent series set.jpg
Boxed set


Author Veronica Roth
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Genre Adventure
Science fiction
Dystopian
Young adult fiction
Publisher Katherine Tegen Books
Published2011–2013
Media typePrint (hardcover and paperback)

Divergent is a series of young adult science fiction adventure novels by American novelist Veronica Roth set in a post-apocalyptic dystopian Chicago. [1] The trilogy consists of Divergent (2011), Insurgent (2012), and Allegiant (2013). [2] [3] A related book, Four (2014), presents a series of short stories told from the perspective of one of the trilogy's characters, the male love interest Tobias. A later short story, We Can Be Mended (2018), serves as an epilogue five years after the events of the trilogy, again from Tobias/Four's perspective.

Contents

The trilogy is set in the future in a dystopian society that is divided into five factions. The trilogy's society defines its members by their social and personality affiliations, with the five different factions removing the threat of anyone exercising independent will and threatening the population's safety. Beatrice Prior, who later changes her name to Tris, is born into Abnegation but transfers into Dauntless; she must figure out her life as a Divergent, conceal her true nature, and live with the danger of being killed if her true nature is discovered by the Erudite and Dauntless leaders. [4]

List of books

#TitlePagesChaptersWordsAudioUS release
1 Divergent 48739105,14311h 12mApril 26, 2011
2 Insurgent 5254798,89011h 24mMay 11, 2012
3 Allegiant 52650110,35411h 52mOctober 22, 2013
4 Four: A Divergent Collection 3048259,7276h 33mJuly 8, 2014
5We Can Be Mended2916,000January 9, 2018
Total1871137380,11441h 1m

Divergent

The first main installment in the series tells the story of Beatrice Prior, a teenager who lives in a post-apocalyptic Chicago in which society has been divided into five factions, each with a specialized social function: Abnegation, Amity, Candor, Dauntless, and Erudite. Beatrice, a member of Abnegation, transfers to Dauntless at the age of 16, takes the new name Tris in the process, and forms a romantic relationship with Abnegation-born Tobias Eaton. As she eases into her new home, Tris slowly uncovers a conspiracy that threatens to upset the balance of the faction system.

Insurgent

The second main installment in the series is set immediately after the events of Divergent.

Tris, Tobias, and their allies begin rallying the favor of other factions and the Factionless, those who do not fit with the faction system, against the tyranny of the Erudite leader Jeanine Matthews, in order to save the Divergent. They struggle through hard times under the tyranny of Jeanine and the wants of Evelyn. Eventually, after winning, Evelyn takes over and the story continues in Allegiant.

Allegiant

The third and final main installment in the series takes place after the ending of Insurgent. Tris, Tobias, and their allies escape from a Chicago that is now dominated by the Factionless towards the fringes. They learn the real nature of Chicago's faction system and must then find a way to prevent a civil war from wreaking havoc on their hometown.

Four: A Divergent Collection

The anthology consists of five short stories previously released separately as e-books, in addition to three new ones. The book focuses on Tobias Eaton and is both a prequel and a retelling of certain events of the first book, Divergent.

We Can Be Mended: A Divergent Series Epilogue

The short story serves as an epilogue to the series. Taking place three years after the events of Allegiant, it focuses on Tobias and Christina as they slowly form a romantic relationship as a way to fill the void left behind by their dead lovers: Tris and Will.

Critical reception

The trilogy received positive reviews from critics. Critics praised Divergent for its plot and action, [5] [6] and Insurgent was praised for its writing and pace. [7] Another critic said, "No one can argue that Divergent is not a fun, edge-of-your-seat read. It is easy to get submerged in, effortless to remain engaged in, and impossible not to enjoy even the slightest bit." [8] Allegiant was praised for being "gripping" and for the love story, but was criticized for its ending and prose.

Film adaptations

Summit Entertainment had bought the rights to film an adaptation of the novel and recruited Neil Burger to direct, with Shailene Woodley starring as Beatrice "Tris" Prior and Theo James as Tobias "Four" Eaton. Lionsgate and its subsidiary Summit Entertainment distributed the film. [9] Kate Winslet was signed as Jeanine Matthews. Also recruited into the cast were Maggie Q as Tori, Zoe Kravitz as Christina, Ansel Elgort as Caleb, Miles Teller as Peter, Ashley Judd as Natalie Prior, Tony Goldwyn as Andrew Prior, and Jai Courtney as Eric. [10] Divergent was released on March 21, 2014. Insurgent began filming in Atlanta on May 27, 2014 [11] and was released on March 20, 2015. [12] The adaptation of Allegiant was split into two parts; the first part, Allegiant, was released on March 18, 2016, while the second part, titled Ascendant, was originally planned to be released in June 2017. The big screen release of Ascendant was shelved due to the poor box office results of Allegiant. [13] On July 20, 2016, it was announced that Ascendant would be released as a TV movie, but later scrapped. [14]

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<i>Divergent</i> (novel) 2011 book by Veronica Roth

Divergent, the debut novel of American novelist Veronica Roth, was published by HarperCollins Children's Books in 2011. The novel is the first in the Divergent series, a trilogy of young adult dystopian novels set in a post-apocalyptic version of Chicago. The society defines its citizens by their social and personality-related affiliation with one of five factions. This rigid system has removed the threat of anyone exercising independent will and re-threatening the population's safety. In the story, Beatrice Prior joins the ranks of the Dauntless and explores her new identity as "Tris". Underlying the action- and dystopian-focused main plot is a romantic subplot between Tris and "Four", one of her instructors in the Dauntless faction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Veronica Roth</span> American author (born 1988)

Veronica Anne Roth is an American novelist and short story writer, known for her bestselling Divergent trilogy which has sold more than 35 million copies worldwide.

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Insurgent is a 2012 science fiction young adult novel by American novelist Veronica Roth and the second book in the Divergent trilogy. As the sequel to the 2011 bestseller Divergent, it continues the story of Tris Prior and the dystopian post-apocalyptic version of Chicago. Following the events of the previous novel, a war now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. While trying to save the people that she loves, Tris faces questions of grief, forgiveness, identity, loyalty, politics, and love.

<i>Divergent</i> (film) 2014 American dystopian science fiction action film directed by Neil Burger

Divergent is a 2014 American dystopian science fiction action film directed by Neil Burger, based on the 2011 novel of the same name by Veronica Roth. The film is the first installment in The Divergent Series and was produced by Douglas Wick, Lucy Fisher, and Pouya Shahbazian, with a screenplay by Evan Daugherty and Vanessa Taylor. It stars Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Ashley Judd, Jai Courtney, Ray Stevenson, Zoë Kravitz, Miles Teller, Tony Goldwyn, Ansel Elgort, and Maggie Q. The story takes place in a dystopian and post-apocalyptic Chicago where people are divided into distinct factions based on human virtues. Beatrice Prior is warned that she is Divergent and thus will never fit into any one of the factions. She soon learns that a sinister plot is brewing in the seemingly perfect society.

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<i>Divergent: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack</i>

Divergent: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the soundtrack album to the 2014 film Divergent, based on the book series of the same name. The soundtrack for the film was chosen by music supervisor Randall Poster. The Divergent: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack album released on March 11, 2014, while the Original Score of the film released on March 18, 2014, by Interscope Records. The soundtrack album sold 10,000 copies in its first week of release.

In the Divergent book trilogy and film series, factions are societal divisions that classify citizens based on their aptitudes and values. The factions are Dauntless, Amity, Erudite, Abnegation, and Candor. On an appointed day every year, 16-year-olds select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives after they take a placement test.

<i>The Divergent Series: Allegiant</i> 2016 film by Robert Schwentke

The Divergent Series: Allegiant is a 2016 American dystopian science fiction action film directed by Robert Schwentke with a screenplay by Bill Collage, Adam Cooper, and Noah Oppenheim, and the third and final film in The Divergent Series. It was set to be the first of two cinematic parts based on the 2013 novel Allegiant of the Divergent trilogy by Veronica Roth.

The Divergent Series is a feature film series based on the Divergent novels by the American author Veronica Roth. Distributed by Summit Entertainment and Lionsgate Films, the series consists of three science fiction action films set in a dystopian society: Divergent, Insurgent, and Allegiant. They have been produced by Lucy Fisher, Pouya Shabazian, and Douglas Wick.

<i>The Divergent Series: Insurgent</i> 2015 film by Robert Schwentke

The Divergent Series: Insurgent is a 2015 American dystopian science fiction action film directed by Robert Schwentke, based on the 2012 novel Insurgent, the second book in the Divergent trilogy by Veronica Roth. It is the sequel to the 2014 film Divergent and the second installment in The Divergent Series, produced by Lucy Fisher, Pouya Shabazian and Douglas Wick, with a screenplay by Brian Duffield, Akiva Goldsman and Mark Bomback. Schwentke took over from Neil Burger as director, with Burger serving as the executive producer of the film. Along with the first film's returning cast, led by Shailene Woodley and Theo James, the sequel features supporting actors Octavia Spencer, Naomi Watts, Suki Waterhouse, Rosa Salazar, Daniel Dae Kim, Jonny Weston, Emjay Anthony, and Keiynan Lonsdale.

<i>The Divergent Series: Insurgent – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack</i>

The Divergent Series: Insurgent – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the official soundtrack album of the 2015 American science-fiction action film The Divergent Series: Insurgent, based on the second book of the Divergent trilogy. The score of the film was composed by Joseph Trapanese, while Randall Poster reprised his role as music supervisor. The soundtrack album along with the film's score were released exclusively as digital albums by Interscope Records on March 17, 2015.

<i>Four: A Divergent Collection</i> Book by Veronica Roth

Four: A Divergent Collection is a collection of five short stories from the Divergent trilogy, told from Tobias Eaton's (Four) perspective, and written by Veronica Roth. The first story of the collection, Free Four: Tobias Tells the Divergent Knife-Throwing Scene, was released as an e-book on April 23, 2012. The second story, The Transfer, was released on September 3, 2013. The third story titled The Initiate, the fourth story The Son and the fifth and final story The Traitor were released on July 8, 2014. Simultaneously with the release of last three short stories, a collected edition of the five short stories titled Four: A Divergent Collection was released on July 8, 2014, which also features three exclusive scenes.

<i>Allegiant</i> (novel) 2013 novel by Veronica Roth

Allegiant is a science fiction novel for young adults, written by the American author Veronica Roth and published by HarperCollins in October 2013. It completes the Divergent trilogy that Roth started with her debut novel Divergent in 2011. The book is written from the perspective of both Beatrice (Tris) and Tobias (Four). Following the revelations of the previous novel, they journey past the city's boundaries to discover what lies beyond.

References

  1. Christopher Borrelli (22 October 2013). "The next YA superstar?". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
  2. "Insurgent (Divergent Series #2) by Veronica Roth" . Retrieved September 3, 2013.
  3. "Allegiant (Divergent Series #3) (B&N Exclusive Edition) by Veronica Roth" . Retrieved September 3, 2013.
  4. Divergent Summary & Guide. BookRags. Retrieved 14 October 2015.
  5. Dominus, Susan (12 May 2011). "In This Dystopia, Teens Must Choose Wisely". The New York Times. Retrieved 28 December 2012.
  6. Angulo Chen, Sandie (11 May 2011). "Divergent". Common Sense Media. Retrieved 28 December 2012.
  7. "Insurgent Veronica Roth. HarperCollins/Tegen" . Retrieved September 3, 2013.
  8. Tsui, Katie. "Teen book nook: Review of "Divergent"". Archived from the original on 29 March 2015. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
  9. Siegel, Tatiana; Kit, Borys (March 15, 2013). "'Downton Abbey's' Theo James Nabs Male Lead in Summit's 'Divergent'". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved June 28, 2013.
  10. Kit, Borys; Siegel, Tatiana (March 11, 2013). "Maggie Q, Zoe Kravitz and Ansel Elgort Join 'Divergent' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 11, 2013.
  11. "'Divergent' Sequel 'Insurgent' Starts Filming in Atlanta May 27th!". 25 April 2014. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  12. "'The Divergent Series': 'Insurgent' to be Released in March 2015; The Spark between Shailene and Theo Continues". 9 February 2015. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
  13. "Divergent Series: Ascendant TV Series in Development at Starz". Den of Geek. Retrieved 2018-07-29.
  14. "DIVERGENT TV Series No Longer In Development". 21 December 2018. Retrieved 11 March 2020.

See also