Veronica Roth, author of the Divergent book series, has confirmed two new novels in the series – 15 years after the originals were released.
She announced at BookCon in New York City that she has written the novels and, when speaking to USA Today, explained that they are “not a prequel, not a sequel, not a spin-off, not a different POV, but an alternate universe of Divergent where Tris chooses a different faction”.
In the original story, protagonist Tris, depicted in the film series by Shailene Woodley, decides to enter the Dauntless faction at her Choosing Ceremony after being a member of Abnegation all her life.
The story revolves around her trying to fit into the faction, renowned for its brave but slightly barbaric nature. Roth shared: “I think the question of ‘who is Tris without Dauntless?’ is an interesting one.”
This will certainly be a question amongst fans of the series, as being a member of Dauntless is a major part of Tris’s self-discovery and how she meets her love interest, Four – also known as Tobias Eaton – portrayed in the films by Theo James.
However, Roth teased that the same characters may still appear in the story: “You’d think that certain things wouldn’t happen because she makes a different faction choice, but she does find her way to the same people. Seeing how that happens is a really fun part of it.”
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The first of the two books to be released, named The Sixth Faction, will be available to readers from 6 October. With the title suggesting a whole new faction to the ones audiences will be familiar with, Roth has shared her excitement for franchise fans to share their opinions on the new angle to the story.
The original novels, all released annually from 2011, starting with Divergent, then Insurgent and Allegiant, introduced audiences to Tris Prior as a teenage girl living in Chicago after an apocalypse that divides society into five factions.
Tris later discovers that she does not fit into any one of the factions, making her Divergent, so she learns to conceal her true identity, out of fear of being rejected by society.
The book series was later adapted into a collection of Lionsgate film adaptations – Divergent (2014), The Divergent Series: Insurgent (2015) and The Divergent Series: Allegiant (2016).
Although a final instalment, Ascendant, was planned, it was never made. Fans of the film series will be hoping that the newest book instalments will find their way onto the big screen.
The Sixth Faction by Veronica Roth is available to pre-order now.
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