''Divergent'' is a series of

young adult A young adult is generally a person in the years following adolescence. Definitions and opinions on what qualifies as a young adult vary, with works such as Erik Erikson's stages of human development significantly influencing the definition of ...

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...

adventure An adventure is an exciting experience or undertaking that is typically bold, sometimes risky. Adventures may be activities with danger such as traveling, exploring, skydiving, mountain climbing, scuba diving, river rafting, or other extreme spo ...

novels by American novelist

Veronica Roth Veronica Anne Roth (born August 19, 1988) is an American novelist and short story writer, known for her bestselling ''Divergent'' trilogy which has sold more than 35 million copies worldwide. Personal life Veronica Roth was born on August 19, ...

set in a

post-apocalyptic Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction is a subgenre of speculative fiction in which the Earth's (or another planet's) civilization is collapsing or has collapsed. The apocalypse event may be climatic, such as runaway climate change; astro ...

dystopian A dystopia (from Ancient Greek δυσ- "bad, hard" and τόπος "place"; alternatively cacotopiaCacotopia (from κακός ''kakos'' "bad") was the term used by Jeremy Bentham in his 1818 Plan of Parliamentary Reform (Works, vol. 3, p. 493). ...

Chicago. The trilogy consists of '' Divergent'' (2011), ''

Insurgent An insurgency is a violent, armed rebellion against authority waged by small, lightly armed bands who practice guerrilla warfare from primarily rural base areas. The key descriptive feature of insurgency is its asymmetric warfare, asymmetric na ...

'' (2012) and '' Allegiant'' (2013). A related book, ''

Four 4 (four) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is considered unlucky in many East Asian cultures. In mathematics Four is the smallest c ...

'' (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's perspective. The trilogy is set in the future in a dystopian society that is divided into five factions. The trilogy's society defines its citizens 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.

List of books

''Divergent''

The first main installment in the series tells the story of Beatrice Prior, a teenager who lives in a

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

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 a fellow Abnegation transfer, Tobias Eaton. As she eases herself into her new home, Tris slowly uncovers a conspiracy that threatens to tear 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.

''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 An ebook (short for electronic book), also known as an e-book or eBook, is a book publication made available in digital form, consisting of text, images, or both, readable on the flat-panel display of computers or other electronic devices. Alt ...

, in addition to three new ones. The book focuses on Tobias Eaton and is both a

prequel A prequel is a literary, dramatic or cinematic work whose story precedes that of a previous work, by focusing on events that occur before the original narrative. A prequel is a work that forms part of a backstory to the preceding work. The term " ...

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, and ''Insurgent'' was praised for its writing and pace. 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." ''Allegiant'' was praised for being "gripping" and for the love story, but was criticized for its ending and prose.

Film adaptations

Summit Entertainment Summit Entertainment is an American film production and distribution company. It is a label of Lionsgate Films, owned by Lionsgate Entertainment and is headquartered in Santa Monica, California. History Independent era (1991–2012) Summit E ...

had bought the rights to film an adaptation of the novel and recruited

Neil Burger Neil Norman Burger (born November 22, 1963) is an American filmmaker. He is known for the fake-documentary ''Interview with the Assassin'' (2002), the period drama '' The Illusionist'' (2006), '' Limitless'' (2011), and the sci-fi action film '' ...

to direct, with

Shailene Woodley Shailene Diann Woodley (born November 15, 1991) is an American actress. Born in San Bernardino, California, Woodley was raised in Simi Valley, and started modeling at the age of four and began acting professionally in minor television roles. She ...

starring as Beatrice "Tris" Prior and

Theo James Theo is a given name and a hypocorism. Greek origin Many names beginning with the root "Theo-" derive from the Ancient Greek word ''theos'' (''θεός''), which means god, for example: *Feminine names: Thea, Theodora, Theodosia, Theophania, ...

as Tobias "Four" Eaton.

Lionsgate Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation, doing business as Lionsgate, is a Canadian-American entertainment company. It was formed by Frank Giustra on July 10, 1997, domiciled in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and is currently headquartered ...

and its subsidiary

distributed the film.

Kate Winslet Kate Elizabeth Winslet (; born 5 October 1975) is an English actress. Known for her work in independent films, particularly period dramas, and for her portrayals of headstrong and complicated women, she has received numerous accolades, incl ...

was signed as Jeanine Matthews. Also recruited into the cast were

Maggie Q Margaret Denise Quigley (Vietnamese: Lý Mỹ Kỳ; born May 22, 1979), professionally known as Maggie Q, is an American actress, activist, and model. She began her professional career in Hong Kong, with starring roles in the action films ''Gen- ...

as Tori,

Zoe Kravitz Zoe (also ZOE, Zoë, Zoé, etc.) can refer to: *ζωή (''zōḗ''), the Ancient Greek word for "life" People * Zoe (name), including list of persons and fictional characters with the name Film and television * Zoe (film), ''Zoe'' (film) * ZO ...

as Christina,

Ansel Elgort Ansel Elgort (born March 14, 1994) is an American actor and singer. He began his acting career with a supporting role in the horror film ''Carrie'' (2013) and gained wider recognition for starring as a teenage cancer patient in the romantic dr ...

as Caleb,

Miles Teller Miles Teller (born February 20, 1987) is an American actor. He played a jazz drummer in '' Whiplash'' and a supporting pilot in '' Top Gun: Maverick''. Teller made his feature film debut in 2010 and gained recognition for his starring role in ...

as Peter,

Ashley Judd Ashley Judd (born Ashley Tyler Ciminella; April 19, 1968) is an American actress. She grew up in a family of performing artists: she is the daughter of the late country music singer Naomi Judd and the half-sister of country music singer Wynonna ...

as Natalie Prior,

Tony Goldwyn Anthony Howard Goldwyn (born May 20, 1960) is an American actor, singer, producer, director, and political activist. He made his debut appearing as Darren in the slasher film '' Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives'' (1986), and had his breakthr ...

as Andrew Prior, and

Jai Courtney Jai Courtney (; born 15 March 1986) is an Australian actor. He started his career with small roles in films and television series before being cast as Charlie in the action film ''Jack Reacher'' (2012). He has gone on to star in ''A Good Day to ...

as Eric. '' Divergent'' was released on March 21, 2014. ''

'' began filming in Atlanta on May 27, 2014 and was released on March 20, 2015. 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''. On July 20, 2016, it was announced that ''Ascendant'' would be released as a TV movie, but later scrapped.