There's a new Hunger Games novel coming
Sunrise on the Reaping will be set during the second quarter quell, which introduced Panem to the indomitable Haymitch Abernathy
Everybody say “thank you, Rachel Zegler!” Back in 2021, the Ballad Of Songbirds And Snakes star and general Hunger Games fangirl posted a plea to the franchise’s author on Twitter/X: “girls don’t want boys,” she wrote. “girls want suzanne collins to release a haymitch abernathy origin trilogy.” Now, Rachel—and everyone else who read the brief description of the Second Quarter Quell in the original trilogy and immediately thought, more—are getting their wish. Panem today, Panem tomorrow, Panem forever!
Suzanne Collins announced the upcoming prequel, titled Sunrise On The Reaping, today (via the Associated Press). The novel will focus on the 50th annual Hunger Games (a.k.a. the Second Quarter Quell), which were, per Zegler’s plea, the Games won by Haymitch Abernathy (played by Woody Harrelson in the movies). That’s the same Haymitch we find drinking himself into oblivion in his role as District 12 mentor 24 years later in the original trilogy.
Here’s what we know about the 50th Hunger Games: in the tradition of the Games’ other 25-year anniversaries, the Second Quarter Quell was especially harrowing—even more than the standard “children fighting each other to death.” There were 48 tributes instead of the usual 24, and the arena was described in the original books as “the most breathtaking place imaginable.” The sky was perfect, blue, and cloudless, the grass was lush and green, and a lovely snowcapped mountain rose in the distance. The victors soon learned, however, that every single thing in this deceptive paradise was poisonous (including the water and even the air), the butterflies had stingers, and the mountain was actually a deadly volcano. Eventually, Haymitch won by utilizing the bounce back from the arena’s force field boundary, just as Katniss did in Catching Fire.
“With Sunrise on the Reaping, I was inspired by David Hume’s idea of implicit submission and, in his words, ‘the easiness with which the many are governed by the few,’” Collins said in a statement about the new book (via AP). “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.”
While it’s easy to lament the entertainment industry’s current over-reliance on sequels, threequels, and prequels (including Ballad), this particular idea is kind of a no brainer. The Hunger Games is a beloved franchise experiencing a massive resurgence right now, and the games before Katniss’ always felt too rich and exciting not to explore further at some point.
Movie rights have not yet been announced, but this will likely be turned into a Lionsgate film like the rest of the franchise. If and when that does happen, oracle Rachel Zegler has even more insight. “when we get the movie adaptation………….. TELL ME YOU DIDN’T FEEL ALL OF THE FEELINGS WHEN HE WAS WATCHING THE CAPITOL CHILDREN PLAY FIGHT W SWORDS,” she also wrote in 2021. “god i love the hunger games.”
Sunrise On The Reaping comes out March 18, 2025.