On April 18, Veronica Roth announced the return of the divergent universe, 15 years later in a new companion duology titled: ‘The Sixth Faction’
Veronica Roth is returning to her polarising Divergent universe 15 years after the original novel first published, with a new companion duology that reimagines Tris Prior’s story in an alternate timeline.
The bestselling dystopian author announced at BookCon on April 18 that she has written ‘The Sixth Faction’, a new companion duology set in an alternate version of the Divergent world.
Roth told USA TODAY: “Not a prequel, not a sequel, not a spinoff, not a different POV but an alternate universe of ‘Divergent’ where Tris chooses a different faction. I think the question of ‘who is Tris without Dauntless’ is an interesting one.”
The Sixth Faction, out October 6th, explores what would have happened if Beatrice Prior had not transferred to Dauntless, instead following a different path after a tragedy at her Choosing Ceremony. That decision sets her on a new trajectory into an underground rebellion, where she encounters a mysterious boy with a numbered identity – widely understood to be Tobias “Four” Eaton.
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In the original Divergent series, Beatrice discovers she is Divergent, meaning she possesses traits of multiple factions, before ultimately choosing Dauntless. The series became one of the defining young adult dystopian franchises of the 2010s, selling more than 40 million copies worldwide and spawning a film trilogy starring Shailene Woodley and Theo James.
Woodley previously said in a 2013 interview with That’s Normal: “I really liked the fact she was a normal person, put in very bizarre situations, and that she’s not a superhero and that she’s not any more brave necessarily than anyone else in the world.”
The film franchise, which ran from 2014 to 2016, was ultimately left unfinished after a fourth instalment was cancelled following the underperformance of Allegiant . Theo James later reflected in a 2022 Vanity Fair interview, “You do a certain type of film and you sign contracts where you are beholden to those roles for a certain period of time and people see you in a certain light that you have to wrestle your way out of.”
The return of Divergent comes amid a wider revival of YA dystopian fiction, which is once again gaining traction across social media and publishing circles. On TikTok, a post from @rereadingtherevolution highlighted the growing trend, referencing “a new Hunger Games movie, John Green novel, Divergent spin-off book and Shadowhunters series this year.”
Writing in Medium, Mhairi Evans also pointed to the genre’s renewed popularity, noting: “From The Hunger Games to Scythe, YA dystopias are having a resurgence. Here’s why these stories resonate differently when you revisit them in your 40s.”
Online reaction to Roth’s announcement has been mixed. In a Reddit thread discussing the new book, one user wrote: “The divergent books were not that good to start with… I do however imagine 2 massive hunger games sequels… may have encouraged this decision.” Another added criticism of the film adaptations, calling the final instalment “a mess.”
Despite this, Roth has reflected on her complicated relationship with the series. In an interview with Elle, she said she once distanced herself from Divergent due to criticism, but has since returned to it with renewed perspective.
She said: “It sounds ungrateful when you say that you have negative feelings about this series that was so transformative… I started agreeing with it, which is something that a lot of women, especially, can relate to.”
She later added: “Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to play your early work with pride, showcasing the growth you’ve done, without feeling this shame about the things you made when you were young?”
Roth said revisiting her earlier work helped her reconnect with the story, adding: “It made me feel like, ‘I would love to find a way to experience joy associated with this series again.’”
She is currently editing both books in the new duology, with the second instalment expected to publish in February 2027.
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