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Admirers of The “Hunger Games” series by Suzanne Collins have been begging for spinoffs concerning other characters, whether it’s for lover boy Finnick Odair, axe wielder Johanna Mason, or Katniss and Peeta’s drunken mentor, Haymitch Abernathy. In spring of next year, the fans’ requests will be answered.
The Announcement
On Jun. 6, 2024, @hungergamesbooks on Instagram posted a book cover showing a bird’s shadow covering a wall of concrete. The newly announced novel is titled “Sunrise on the Reaping,” with a release date of Mar. 18, 2025. Immediately following, they revealed a movie adaptation of the new book coming to theaters on Nov. 20, 2026.
What To Expect
On Oct. 16, the final cover was revealed to the world along with a synopsis reading, “As the day dawns on the fiftieth 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.”
Haymitch’s Story
If you’re unfamiliar with Haymitch’s victory, he won the 50th Hunger Games by throwing an axe at the force field surrounding the arena so it could rebound and kill the District 1 tribute he was facing. As punishment, the Capitol murdered his family and girlfriend, driving him to alcoholism. He then mentored Katniss and Peeta in the original trilogy during the 74th and 75th Hunger Games.
The First Prequel
This is the second Hunger Games prequel to be released, the first being “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” in 2020. The book detailed tyrannical President Snow’s teen years during the 10th Hunger Games and his kinship with District 12’s tribute, Lucy Gray Baird. The book received a 3.97 star rating on Goodreads and the movie, starring Rachel Zegler and Tom Blyth, received a 3.6 star rating on Letterboxd.
Moral Reminders
For those worried this is Suzanne Collins’ attempt at a cash grab, it’s not. In an interview with School Library Journal, Collins tells how she began writing the dystopian series after channel surfing and passing two channels featuring a reality show and the war in Iraq. She also took inspiration from the terror she felt during her dad’s service in the Vietnam War.
The effects of the media in conflicts like these are not lost on her, so she writes her books to warn us, “If there’s a real-life tragedy unfolding, you should not be thinking of yourself as an audience member. Because those are real people on the screen, and they’re not going away when the commercials start to roll.”
Collins puts pen to paper only when the Western world needs an uncomfortable reminder, proving that she values morality over money. Personally, I cannot wait to learn more about the events of Haymitch’s Quarter Quell. I’ve adored all the books in this series and I imagine I will feel no different about this one.
