Narrator: Aaron Stanford
Series: Divergent
Published by Harper Audio on 7/8/14
Genres: Dystopia, Science Fiction, Young Adult
Format: Audiobook
Length: 6 hours and 33 minutes
Source: Library
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Also by this author: Summer Days & Summer Nights: Twelve Love Stories
Fans of the Divergent series by number-one New York Times best-selling author Veronica Roth will be thrilled by Four: A Divergent Collection, a companion volume that includes four pre-Divergent stories told from Tobias' point of view.
Listeners first encountered Tobias as "Four" in Divergent. His voice is an integral part of Allegiant. Listeners will find more of this charismatic character's backstory told from his own perspective in Four: A Divergent Collection. When taken together, these long narrative pieces illuminate the defining moments in Tobias' life. The first three pieces in this volume - "The Transfer", "The Initiate", and "The Son" - follow Tobias's transfer from Abnegation to Dauntless, his Dauntless initiation, and the first clues that a foul plan is brewing in the leadership of two factions. The fourth story, "The Traitor", runs parallel with the events of Divergent, giving listeners a glimpse into the decisions of loyalty - and love - that Tobias makes in the weeks after he meets Tris Prior.
Exclusive scenes included!
I haven’t been keeping up on series novellas in general, but when I saw this new complete collection of Four (Divergent) stories I thought I’d take a chance. The stories in this collection work together well and form a pretty interesting portrait of Tobias Eaton, aka Divergent’s leading man Four. Allegiant wasn’t my favorite book, but the Divergent movie reinvigorated my interest in the series. And I did enjoy finding out more about Four and seeing some of the events of Divergent through his eyes.
In Four, you’ll get answers to many burning questions and find out more about the man behind the tattoos. Four’s story is overshadowed by Tris in the Divergent series but he is a pretty interesting guy in his own right. Veronica Roth does a good job with the “voice” of Four and shows many layers to his character.
Four’s story is told in four parts:
The Transfer (originally released last year) sets up Four’s decision to leave Abnegation and features his father Marcus and his evil ways.
The Initiate covers the Dauntless initiation, how Tobias came to be Four, a game of Dare, and the dangerous other D word (Divergent.)
The Son is about Four figuring out his role in Dauntless, learning more about the nefarious goings on, and uncovering family secrets. (And a blind date!)
The Traitor brings us up to speed with the events in Divergent, as Four’s suspicion of the Erudite faction deepens, and he falls for Tris.
The audiobook runs just over 6 hours and includes three bonus scenes (not sure if these are in the book version.) Though there are time jumps in this collection, the stories transition well so it’s like you’re listening to a novel (albeit a short one.) When I heard Aaron Stanford at first I wasn’t convinced he was the perfect Four. Maybe I had Theo James (movie Four) in my head too much. But, as the audiobook continued I grew to appreciate Stanford’s performance more and I do think he conveys the right tone and attitude for the character. Stanford uses different voices for the characters, and I particularly liked his portrayal of some of the more villainous characters. I would listen to this narrator again- he makes the character his own.
Check out an audio sample of Four:
I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed this collection. Four is definitely worthy of his own book and if you’re a big fan of Divergent I think you’ll enjoy these bonus stories. And now that Divergent is available on digital HD I think a re-watch is in order.
I’ve never read the Divergent books. In general, I just can’t handle dystopians. I find them sooo freaking stressful. 🙂
I’m glad you liked this for the most part.
I have been excited about this coming out. I haven’t gotten the chance to read it yet, but I’m glad you liked it. I’ll definitely have to pick it up at the library the next time I’m there.
-Amanda
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