Listen To Suzanne Collins Read An Exclusive Excerpt From 'The Hunger Games' Prequel - with a surprise returning character!

In this exclusive clip posted on Bustle, The Hunger Games author Suzanne Collins reads the opening scene from The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. She introduces the book's protagonist, a young President Snow, and his very familiar cousin. Listen in! 

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes will be released on May 19th, 2020. You can pre-order your copy now. 

Teenage President Snow Revealed as Star of Hunger Games Prequel in EW Exclusive

Illustration by Charles Chaisson for EW

As we all eagerly await the May 19 release of Suzanne Collins' upcoming Hunger Games prequel novel, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Entertainment Weekly is giving us a little taste of what to expect in an exclusive excerpt. In the short snippet we learn that the protagonist of the book is none other than a teenage President Snow, embarking on his first time mentoring in The Hunger Games, assigned to a girl of a certain District.... 

Read the full excerpt at Entertainment Weekly. And stay tuned for the latest here!

The Hunger Games Prequel Novel Title And Cover Art Revealed: 'The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes'

Rejoice, tributes! Author Suzanne Collins’ new Hunger Games prequel novel officially has a name and cover art! Announced Friday on Good Morning America, the upcoming book will be titled The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, and will hit shelves on May 19, 2020.

The book’s cover features a golden mockingjay and snake encircled with a thorned branch over a green and black bullseye background. Ellie Berger, President, Scholastic Trade said in a press release, “It has been thrilling to see the growing excitement from readers around the globe for this new Hunger Games novel. Suzanne Collins is an expert storyteller and world-builder, and in revisiting the world of Panem, she again raises important questions about authority, the use of violence, and the truth of human nature.”

“This cover does an extraordinary job of capturing the conflict—both inner and outer—that lies at the heart of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes,” said David Levithan, VP, Publisher, and Editorial Director for Scholastic. “The mockingjay has returned, but at a new angle . . . which is very much in line with the story that Suzanne Collins is telling.” 

Cover art for The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes projected on to Senate House in central London. Photograph: Dave Benett/Getty Images for Scholastic

ABOUT THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS AND SNAKES:

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes will revisit the world of Panem sixty-four years before the events of The Hunger Games, starting on the morning of the reaping of the Tenth Hunger Games. 

It is the morning of the reaping that will kick off the tenth annual Hunger Games. In the Capitol, eighteen-year-old Coriolanus Snow is preparing for his one shot at glory as a mentor in the Games. The once-mighty house of Snow has fallen on hard times, its fate hanging on the slender chance that Coriolanus will be able to outcharm, outwit, and outmaneuver his fellow students to mentor the winning tribute.

 

The odds are against him. He’s been given the humiliating assignment of mentoring the female tribute from District 12, the lowest of the low. Their fates are now completely intertwined — every choice Coriolanus makes could lead to favor or failure, triumph or ruin. Inside the arena, it will be a fight to the death. Outside the arena, Coriolanus starts to feel for his doomed tribute . . . and must weigh his need to follow the rules against his desire to survive no matter what it takes.

On returning to the world of The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins said, “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.”

You can pre-order your copy of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes right now HERE!

‘Hunger Games’ Dark Days Prequel Novel From Suzanne Collins Coming In 2020 + Lionsgate In Talks For Movie

Rejoice, tributes! Scholastic announced today that will be publishing Suzanne Collins’ new Hunger Games prequel novel next spring! The currently untitled book about the Dark Days of Panem will hit shelves on May 19, 2020.

The novel will be set in the world of Panem on the morning of the reaping of the 10th Hunger Games - 64 years before the events of the original Hunger Games trilogy and well before the lifetime of Katniss Everdeen.

On returning to Panem and The Hunger Games Collins said, “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.

“Suzanne Collins is a master at combining brilliant storytelling, superb world building, breathtaking suspense, and social commentary,” said Ellie Berger, President of Scholastic Trade. “We are absolutely thrilled - as both readers and publishers - to introduce the devoted fans of the series and a new audience to an entirely new perspective on this modern classic.”

Lionsgate is in talks with Collins about adapting the prequel novel into a film, according to a statement from a Lionsgate executive: “As the proud home of the Hunger Games movies, we can hardly wait for Suzanne’s next book to be published. We’ve been communicating with her during the writing process and we look forward to continuing to work closely with her on the movie,” said Joe Drake, Chairman of the Lionsgate Motion Picture Group about the potential plans for a movie.

Stay tuned!