“I emerge from the simulation with a yell.”

From Veronica Roth’s Divergent: Four.

Before Tobias “Four” Eaton met Tris and helped bring an end to the deadly Faction system that was destroying the lives of Faction and Factionless alike, he was a boy struggling to find his place in society.  Rattled by an unexpected connection to his long-gone mother and his father’s abuse, the sixteen-year-old Tobias manipulated his placement test to be placed in the Dauntless faction, far away from his father’s control.  Tobias is forced to face his fears immediately after joining dauntless, and his low number of fears quickly leads to him being nicknamed Four.  Four tackles his training and tests, moving through with cunning wit, but his ability to discern real from simulation also leads to Four to discover a dangerous evil hiding in fellow faction member, Eric.  Knowing that he is Divergent that doesn’t easily fit into one specific faction, Four is cautious with his actions, friendships, and testing to keep his secret from being discovered, but his unwillingness to be used as a pawn leads to Eric’s rise to power in the Dauntless faction.  When Four meets Dauntless recruit Tris, he feels an attraction to her that pushes him to act on the truths that he has discovered about his faction over the past two years, an action that will change Four’s life forever.

This collection of short stories acts as a companion and prequel novella for the rest of the Divergent series.  The stories offer fans of the trilogy an interesting look into the thoughts and motivation of one of the more reserved characters.  Roth creates a quick, engaging read that easily pulls readers into the world of Four.