Summary
Suzanne Collins has secretly been working on a newThe Hunger Gamesprequel novel,Sunrise on the Reaping, and its story is one that fans have requested for years.The popular young adult dystopian book series started with the original trilogy —The Hunger Games,Catching Fire, andMockingjay— which revolved around Katniss Everdeen, a teenage girl who volunteered to replace her sister as the District 12 female tribute at the 74th Hunger Games. Following the trilogy’s success and the subsequentHunger Gamesmovie adaptations, Collins brought readers back to the world of Panem withThe Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.
Sunrise on the Reapingwill be released on July 11, 2025.
Many were surprised to learn that the firstHunger Gamestale Collins explored afterMockingjaywas Coriolanus Snow’s origins. However, onceThe Ballad of Songbirds and Snakeswas published, it soon became clear why the villain’s story had to be told and how intriguing it truly was. After the prequel was released and the film adaptation premiered, many wondered if the author would continue writing one-off novels and speculated which narrative Collins could (and should) explore. Thankfully, Collins seemingly listened to fans and is now debutingSunrise on the Reaping, which revolves around one ofthe bestHunger Gamescharacters.
Sunrise On The Reaping Takes Place 24 Years Before The First Hunger Games Book
Sunrise on the Reapingwill chronicle the Second Quarter Quell,the Games Haymitch Abernathy wonwhen he was 16 years old. Haymitch’s time in the arena was occasionally mentioned during the originalHunger Gamestrilogy, so, readers know some information about that time in Katniss and Peeta’s mentor’s life. Since the Second Quarter Quell was the 50th Hunger Games,Sunrise on the Reapingtakes place 40 years afterThe Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, which featuredLucy Gray Baird winning the 10th Hunger Games.
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
Sunrise on the Reaping
50th Hunger Games (Second Quarter Quell)
July 22, 2025
The upcomingHunger Gamesbook is alsoset 24 years beforeHaymitch mentored Katniss and Peetaduring the 74th Hunger Games.As fans will recall, when the District 12 tributes meet Haymitch for the first time, he’s a helpless drunk who has resigned himself to believing Katniss and Peeta would die, so, there was no use helping them. Of course, over time, he began to see their potential, but readers will learn more about why Haymitch turned out the way he did onceSunrise on the Reapingis published.
12 Biggest Ways The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes Connects To The Hunger Games
The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes serves as a prequel to the first four Hunger Games movies and contains plenty of connections to the other films.
What We Know About The Hunger Games Era Sunrise On The Reaping Is Set In
The Upcoming Hunger Games Novel Begins The Morning Of The Second Quarter Quell’s Reaping
As of the writing of this article, all that is officially known aboutSunrise on the Reapingis that it starts on the morning of the reaping for the 50th Hunger Games. However, a handful of other details about this era are known, thanks to previous books. The 50th Games was also the Second Quarter Quell, which designated thateach district offer up twice the amount of tributes,meaning that four children would represent each district instead of two. So, in total,Haymitch’s Hunger Gamesfeatured 48 tributes, and Woody Harrelson’s character in theHunger Gamesmovies outlasted them all.
The Hunger Games
The Hunger Games is a multi-movie franchise starring Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen. The films are based on the young adult dystopian book series by author Suzanne Collins. The first film was released in 2012, followed by Catching Fire in 2013, Mockingjay Part 1 in 2014, and Mockingjay Part 2 in 2015. In 2023, the fifth film in the series was released, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.
