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Veronica Roth’s The Sixth Faction revisits Divergent through an alternate-universe story centered on Tris Prior, a rebellion and a love story. In an April 2026 interview with ELLE, Roth said the project helped her reconnect with the series; a second book is planned for 2027.
Veronica Roth has returned to the world of Divergent with The Sixth Faction, an alternate-universe novel released October 6. In an April 2026 interview with ELLE, Roth described the book as a way to renew her connection with the series, which follows Beatrice “Tris” Prior into a different version of its familiar setting and conflict.
The Sixth Faction begins with Tris facing a decision at the Choosing Ceremony. After tragedy strikes, her choice places her at the center of a growing rebellion, according to ELLE’s account of the novel. Roth described the story as a large-scale futuristic world with an intimate romance at its center. She said she began with a relationship between two characters marked by a deep emotional wound and destined to fall in love.
Roth called the novel an “alternate universe version” of Divergent, rather than a straightforward continuation of the original story. She said she wanted to make something new that would let her feel joy about the series again. The Sixth Faction is the first book in a planned duology; ELLE reported that the second installment is expected in 2027.
The interview also asked Roth to name books that shaped her as a writer and reader. She cited Frank Herbert’s Dune as an early influence, saying its expansive worldbuilding, introduced through one family, made a strong impression when she read it at 12. Her other selections ranged from Sophie Mackintosh’s Blue Ticket and Chana Porter’s The Seep to Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go and Sarah MacLean’s These Summer Storms.
Roth’s Return to Divergent
The release puts Roth back in conversation with the series that brought her broad readership, but she is approaching its world through reimagining rather than direct continuation. For readers, that means the book offers a new route into Tris’s story, with familiar elements such as the Choosing Ceremony and romance placed within an alternate version of the setting.
Roth’s account also gives the project a personal dimension. She told ELLE that criticism of the original series affected how she related to it and that she often avoided acknowledging the work. The new novel, in her telling, is an effort to make room for a more positive relationship with her earlier writing. That explanation is Roth’s own description of her motivation, not a claim about how readers will respond.
The planned second volume makes the release more than a single-book return: it begins a two-book story with a follow-up expected in 2027. Roth said her hope for the new book was modest: that readers would miss it after finishing. Whether the alternate-universe approach reaches longtime fans or new readers remains to be seen.
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From Criticism to a New Story
The original Divergent books arrived during the 2010s boom in dystopian fiction and were adapted into a film trilogy starring Shailene Woodley and Theo James. Roth told ELLE that she internalized criticism the series received after publication and, for a time, chose not to engage with that part of her career.
She said attending Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour in 2023 helped prompt a change in perspective. Roth was struck by Swift performing songs from earlier stages of her career and said the experience made her want to find a way to feel joy about Divergent again. She explained that making new work was the way she knew how to recapture that feeling. The interview presents this as Roth’s personal account of the book’s origins.
Roth is also the author of works beyond Divergent, including the Carve the Mark duology and the Curse Bearer and Burning Empire series, ELLE reported. The Shelf Life feature pairs discussion of her own release with recommendations from books that have influenced or entertained her.
““I would love to find a way to experience joy associated with this series again.””
— Veronica Roth, speaking to ELLE
The Duology’s Open Questions
ELLE’s interview provides the novel’s broad premise but does not detail how the alternate timeline changes the original series’ events or how closely the book follows its established characters and world. The report also does not give a full plot outline or explain the scale of the rebellion.
The second book is planned for 2027, according to ELLE, but the source does not identify an exact publication date. It also does not report sales figures, reader reception or further adaptation plans. Roth’s comments describe her intentions and hopes; they do not establish how audiences will receive the book.
A Second Book in 2027
The next stated milestone is the second volume of the planned duology, which ELLE says is expected in 2027. No exact date or additional publication details were included in the interview. Readers can also look to the new novel itself for the alternate version of Tris’s Choosing Ceremony and the rebellion Roth described.
For now, the confirmed development is Roth’s return to the Divergent universe with a new story and a follow-up planned. Further information about the sequel’s title, plot and schedule has not been reported in the source material.
Key Questions
What is Veronica Roth’s The Sixth Faction?
The Sixth Faction is a new alternate-universe novel set in the Divergent world. It follows Beatrice “Tris” Prior as a decision at the Choosing Ceremony leads her toward a growing rebellion.
When was The Sixth Faction released?
ELLE’s April 2026 report says the novel was released October 6. The source does not specify a year alongside that date in the release reference.
Is The Sixth Faction a sequel to Divergent?
Roth described it as an “alternate universe version” of Divergent, rather than presenting it as a direct continuation. The report does not lay out how its timeline differs from the original books.
Will there be another book after The Sixth Faction?
Yes. ELLE reported that The Sixth Faction is the first book in a planned duology, with the second novel expected in 2027. An exact release date was not provided.
What books did Roth recommend in the interview?
Her selections included Frank Herbert’s Dune, Sophie Mackintosh’s Blue Ticket, Chana Porter’s The Seep, Mahmud El Sayed’s The Republic of Memory, and Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go, among other titles.
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