Get ready to return to Panem. A prequel novel to The Hunger Games is on the way. Good Morning America revealed the book’s cover and title earlier today. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes takes place 64 years before the original young adult trilogy. It will follow the 10th Hunger Games during one of the nation’s darkest times.
EXCLUSIVE: We just revealed the cover and title of the brand new @Scholastic "Hunger Games" book – "The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes"! https://t.co/LUKfafEEKb pic.twitter.com/Gr3ZrRoFMu
— Good Morning America (@GMA) October 4, 2019
Panem is a dystopian version of the United States. It consists of one wealthy Capitol and 12 districts, all of which vary in levels of poverty. Every year, the Capitol forces each district to submit two children via lottery in order to compete in a televised battle royale to the death. Each child can choose to have their name submitted into the lottery multiple times in order to earn their family supplies and food. Hence the title of the Hunger Games. The original books followed Katniss Everdeen, a teen who volunteered for the games to save her younger sister. By doing so, and by winning her games, she unintentionally became the face for a revolution against the Capitol.
The books are immensely popular and were turned into a 4-entry long series of movies starring Jennifer Lawrence. The final entry released in 2015. In addition to the title, Good Morning America also revealed the book’s cover. It features the series’ signature Mockingjay in gold, perching on a prickly branch with a snake wrapped around it.
Collins has teased the potential for the upcoming prequel book before.
“With this book, I wanted to explore the state of nature, who we are, and what we perceive is required for our survival. The reconstruction period ten years after the war, commonly referred to as the Dark Days—as the country of Panem struggles back to its feet—provides fertile ground for characters to grapple with these questions and thereby define their views of humanity.”
The book releases on May 19th, 2020. Whether the prequel will lead to other books by Collins is unknown. But it will most likely lead to another movie from Lionsgate.
