Four years after releasing a "Hunger Games" prequel, "A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes," Suzanne Collins is returning to Panem with a new story.
"Sunrise on the Reaping," set 24 years before Katniss and Peeta entered the arena in "The Hunger Games," debuts March 18, 2025. But for now, TODAY has an exclusive look at the new novel to quell fans' hunger for more details.
Collins unveiled the cover of "Sunrise on the Reaping" on TODAY on Oct. 16. The art aligns with that of the other "Hunger Games" books, this time featuring an image of a serpent linked with a songbird.
"The spiky sun rises on a symbol that will come to mean a lot to Haymitch Abernathy, as well as countless readers," David Levithan, vice president, publisher and editorial director for Scholastic, said in a statement to TODAY. "Artist Tim O’Brien has created yet another iconic 'Hunger Games' cover — this one symbolically exploring one of the central themes of the series: how conflicting forces can be connected by their common nature, the songbird and the snake springing from the same source."
"Sunrise on the Reaping" is set during the Second Quarter Quell, aka the 50th annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death involving children from the country's districts for the entertainment of its Capitol citizens as a reminder of past failed rebellion. The book starts "the morning of the reaping," or the ceremony in which children from each district are picked to compete in the Games.
Typically two children, one boy and one girl, are reaped from each district. But every 25 years, a special version of the Games known as a Quarter Quell introduces a new twist. For the Second Quarter Quell, there are twice as many children reaped, and 48 kids are sent into the arena.
Longtime fans of the original trilogy remember that District 12's Haymitch Abernathy, who mentored Katniss and Peeta in the original trilogy, competed in and won the 50th Hunger Games — and he will indeed be the protagonist in this new book, Scholastic shared Oct. 16.
When "Sunrise on the Reaping" was announced in June, Collins said in a statement she was inspired by philosopher David Hume's implicit submission, or, "in his words, 'the easiness with which the many are governed by the few.'"
"The story also lent itself to a deeper dive into the use of propaganda and the power of those who control the narrative. The question 'Real or not real?' seems more pressing to me every day," she said, referring to a key quote from "Mockingjay," the third book in the original "Hunger Games" trilogy.
"Sunrise on the Reaping" is Collins' second "Hunger Games" prequel novel. 2020's "The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes" was President Coriolanus Snow's villain origin story and followed him as he mentored District 12's female competitor, Lucy Gray Baird, in the 10th annual Hunger Games.
"The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes," like the three original "Hunger Games" books, was adapted into a movie. The film hit theaters in November 2023 and starred Tom Blyth as Coriolanus and Rachel Zegler as Lucy Gray.
Read the official synopsis for 'Sunrise on the Reaping' from Scholastic
"Sunrise on the Reaping" will revisit the world of Panem 24 years before the events of "The Hunger Games," starting on the morning of the reaping of the 50th Hunger Games, also known as the Second Quarter Quell.
As the day dawns on the 50th annual Hunger Games, fear grips the districts of Panem. This year, in honor of the Quarter Quell, twice as many tributes will be taken from their homes. Back in District 12, Haymitch Abernathy is trying not to think too hard about his chances. All he cares about is making it through the day and being with the girl he loves. When Haymitch’s name is called, he can feel all his dreams break. He’s torn from his family and his love, shuttled to the Capitol with the three other District 12 tributes: a young friend who’s nearly a sister to him, a compulsive oddsmaker, and the most stuck-up girl in town. As the Games begin, Haymitch understands he’s been set up to fail. But there’s something in him that wants to fight ... and have that fight reverberate far beyond the deadly arena.
