Delirium Books In Order

Publication Order of Delirium Books

Chronological Order of Delirium Books

Publication Order of Delirium Collections

About the Author

Born November 8th of the year 1982 to a literary family, Lauren Oliver (Laura Suzanne Schechter) was encouraged to live expressively and imaginatively from a young age by creating her own stories, painting, and performing. With an upbringing in surroundings such as these, coupled with two parents both knowledgeable in literature and a house full of books, it seems as though Oliver had received from a young age the ideal push towards her career as a writer. Oliver, with a passion for reading went on to study Literature and Philosophy at the University of Chicago, subsequently returning to her home city of New York to attend a creative writing course at NYU. Her Father, aside from being a professor, is himself a published writer of true crime and has written essays on popular culture. Although this may have been a helpful and influential factor towards her career, it is by no means indicative of a lack of personal identity as a writer.

The Series

Oliver gained the inspiration for this series after reading a Gabriel Garcia Marquez (One Hundred Years of Solitude) essay in which he suggested that all novels are essentially either about death or love. Having written her first book on death (Before I Fall), Oliver decided to write one on love; then one day at the gym she saw some news about a pandemic, and the two ideas combined to form the basis of the New York Times and international bestselling Delirium trilogy.

Set in a dystopian society where love has been declared a dangerous disease which must be treated by the obligatory “cure”, Lena will find herself swept away from the comfort of a predictable, loveless life as she meets Alex, a member of the Resistance who persuades her that life without love will not make her happy, all this as the day of her treatment comes ever closer. Alex takes her to the wild, where things are not as she thought they would be, and encountering the resistance, they decide that they must prevent everyone in the USA from having to take the cure in order for them to live a life of love. The rebellion gives way to a revolution with Lena at the centre of the fight.

Delirium

The first book in the series, Delirium introduces us to Lena who is living the standard life expected of a teenager in this dystopia; waiting excitedly for the day of her cure so that she can live her life free of the disease of love. However, the last thing that was expected of her happened; after having met Alex, a person over eighteen (18) who has not taken the cure known as an invalid, Lena starts to fall in love. He makes her question whether taking the cure and eradicating love from her life would make her happy. Lena decides that she is not going to take the cure, and with the date when she is due to take it coming closer all the time, she and Alex conceive a plan to escape. However they are found together before they manage to do so, and Alex gets in the way so that Lena can escape into the wild, sacrificing himself.

Reception

Fox had been in the process of developing the first book of the series into a TV series, though after a few actors were selected for the characters, the plan failed to gain momentum and Fox declined to pick up the pilot.

Critical reviews of this book were largely positive and it was a New York Times bestseller. NPR wrote, ” Oliver writes beautifully, with well measured mastery. The references to The Book of Shhh and The Safety, Health and Happiness Handbook, 12th edition, are exquisitely artful touches.

Pandemonium

Lena, now in the wild, where nothing is as she expects, must track down the DFA (Deliria Free America) and with them devise how to free the whole of America from the cure for love. But for a task of this scope there are bound to be obstacles, and Lena runs into every one. Captured by some Scavengers while at a DFA march and imprisoned with the leader of the youth branch of the DFA, Julian Fineman, and with the memory of Alex’s sacrifice fresh in her mind, she escapes with him. But more than just that, she starts to fall in Love with the fine young man.

Reception

Released to warm reviews, Pandemonium continued with the popularity set by its prequel Delirium. The independent states that while at times the plot can be ” somewhat exhausting”, Oliver is “an adept and occasionally courageous storyteller”.

Requiem

The rebellion in Pandemonium has given way to an all out revolution, and Lena herself has changed through all her experiences, now being at the centre of the fight. Escaping to the wilds with her friends and Julian, after saving him from a death sentence, Lena finds that the wild is no longer a safe place as the rebellion has brought about a strong response from the government to crush all resistance. Lena now having to find a safe passage through an increasingly dangerous wilderness, as her best friend Hana lives a safe life in New York waiting to marry the Mayor. This book brings the two separate stories together and concludes the trilogy.

Offshoot books

After the publication and release of Delirium, Oliver wrote and release a book called ” Hana”, which spans the story of Delirium, though from the point of view of Hana, Lena’s best friend who was present throughout most of the story. This idea continued after the release of Pandemonium, with the publication of another novella called ” Annabel” which recounts the times and events before Delirium, following the story of Lena’s mother, who was supposed to have committed suicide, as Lena and everyone believes. Another novella titles ” Raven” is a third offshoot story which follows Raven in her adventures that occur between the times of Pandemonium and Requiem.