''Divergent'', also known as ''The Divergent Series'', is a series of

young adult In medicine and the social sciences, a young adult is generally a person in the years following adolescence, sometimes with some overlap. Definitions and opinions on what qualifies as a young adult vary, with works such as Erik Erikson's stages ...

science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

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 and early life Veronica Roth was born ...

set in a

post-apocalyptic Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction are genres 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; astronom ...

dystopian A dystopia (lit. "bad place") is an imagined world or society in which people lead wretched, dehumanized, fearful lives. It is an imagined place (possibly state) in which everything is unpleasant or bad, typically a totalitarian or environmenta ...

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

Insurgent An insurgency is a violent, armed rebellion by small, lightly armed bands who practice guerrilla warfare against a larger authority. The key descriptive feature of insurgency is its asymmetric nature: small irregular forces face a large, well ...

'' (2012), and '' Allegiant'' (2013). 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. 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.

List of novels

''Divergent''

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

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

in which society has been divided into five factions, each with a specialized social function: Abnegation (selflessness), Dauntless (bravery), Erudite (intelligence), Amity (peace), and Candor (honesty). Beatrice, a member of Abnegation, has her test results reveal she is Divergent—possessing traits of multiple factions—she is warned to keep it a secret, as Divergents are considered dangerous. She 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. Tris also faces brutal training, life-threatening challenges, and an unraveling conspiracy led by Erudite to overthrow the government. As war brews, Tris must decide where her loyalty lies while grappling with love, loss, and identity. In a society that demands conformity, Tris learns that being different may be the only way to survive—and fight back against a system built on control and fear.

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

, 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, LLC (formerly the Summit Group, Summit Export Group, Summit Entertainment Group Inc., Summit Entertainment Limited, Summit Films Limited, and Summit Entertainment N.V.) is an American film production label of Lionsgate Film ...

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

Neil Burger Neil Norman Burger is an Americans, American filmmaker. He is known for the fake-documentary ''Interview with the Assassin'' (2002), the period drama ''The Illusionist (2006 film), The Illusionist'' (2006), ''Limitless (film), Limitless'' (2011 ...

to direct, with

Shailene Woodley Shailene Woodley (born November 15, 1991) is an American actress. She first gained prominence for her starring role as Amy Juergens in the ABC Family teen drama series '' The Secret Life of the American Teenager'' (2008–2013). She then starr ...

starring as Beatrice "Tris" Prior and

Theo James Theodore Peter James Kinnaird Taptiklis (born 16 December 1984) is an English actor. He gained recognition for playing Tobias Eaton in '' The Divergent Series'' film trilogy (2014–2016). He has starred in the horror films '' Underworld: Awak ...

as Tobias "Four" Eaton.

Lionsgate Lions Gate, Lion Gate or similar terms may refer to: Gates *Lion Gate at Mycenae in Greece *Lion Gate, one of the entrances to the ancient Hittite city of Hattusa, now in Turkey *Lion Gate, one of the entrances to the gardens of Hampton Court Pala ...

and its subsidiary

distributed the film.

Kate Winslet Kate Elizabeth Winslet (; born 5 October 1975) is an English actress. Primarily known for her roles as headstrong and complicated women in independent films, particularly period dramas, she has received numerous accolades, including an Ac ...

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

Maggie Q Margaret Denise Quigley (born May 22, 1979), professionally known as Maggie Q, is an American actress. She began her professional career in Hong Kong, with starring roles in the action films '' Gen-Y Cops'' (2000) and '' Naked Weapon'' (2002), ...

as Tori,

Zoe Kravitz Zoe or variants may refer to: People * Zoe (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the name ** Zoë (British singer) (Zoë Pollock, born 1969) ** Zoë (Austrian singer) (Zoë Straub, born 1996) Arts and entertainment F ...

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). He gained wider recognition for starring as a teenage cancer patient in the romantic d ...

as Caleb,

Miles Teller Miles Teller (born February 20, 1987) is an American actor. He made his feature film debut with the independent drama '' Rabbit Hole'' (2010), and gained wider recognition for his roles in the coming-of-age film ''The Spectacular Now'' (2013) a ...

as Peter,

Ashley Judd Ashley Tyler Ciminella, known professionally as Ashley Judd (born April 19, 1968), is an American actress and activist. She grew up in a family of performing artists, the daughter of country music singer Naomi Judd and the half-sister of country ...

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 Stephen Courtney (; born 15 March 1986) is an Australian actor. Born and raised in Sydney, Courtney started his career as a teenager with small roles in film and television, and studied acting at the Western Australian Academy of Performing ...

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.