The Hunger Games prequel, Sunrise on the Reaping, has a fresh synopsis from Scholastic. TODAY got the exclusive look at Suzanne Collins’ upcoming novel. In the new synopsis for the book, the publisher clarifies that Sunrise on the Reaping takes place during the Second Quarter Quell. Hunger Games fans can instantly identify that as the 50th instance of the contest that pits children against each other in death contests. As the title probably hints, the morning of the reaping is the selection day of the ceremony where the kids of various districts are drafted to compete in the games. As a way to spice this twisted game up, every 25 years there’s a “Quarter Quell”, which changes the rules for that year’s contest. At the 50-year mark, the field of children doubled to 48. Haymitch Abernathy, a familiar name for series fans, won the Second Quarter Quell and will serve as the protagonist for this book.
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Here’s the official synopsis: “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,” Scholastic wrote. “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,” the synopsis continued. “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.”
“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 previously wrote in a statement. “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.”
Could Even More Hunger Games Be On The Way?
After the success of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, you had to feel like there was more Hunger Games coming from Lionsgate. Mere weeks after that triumph at the cinema, Suzanne Collins announced the new prequel novel. In short order, the movie studio announced their intentions to turn it into a full project too. The franchise’s beloved director would have no problem overseeing the next cinematic efforts. Francis Lawrence talked to Entertainment Weekly about revisiting Panem again. His door is effectively open for whatever Lionsgate and company have planned for the future. However, Collins would have to be involved in the entire planning to assure the fans get the caliber of story that they’re accustomed to.
“I liked being part of the series originally because the stories are great,” Lawrence began. “But what was always gratifying was that they were always about something. Suzanne always writes from a thematic foundation. The original ones were all about the consequences of war. [Songbirds and Snakes is] about the state of nature.”
“That’s what makes them feel rich and not superficial, and I think it’s why they’ve stood the test of time, honestly… If Suzanne has another thematic idea that she feels fits into the world of Panem — whether that’s with new people [or] familiar characters [like] Finnick, Haymitch, whoever — I’d be really interested in looking at it and being a part of it,” Lawrence shared. “But I don’t have any pull of just going, ‘I would love to do Finnick’s games.’ He’s a great character, but what’s the thematic underpinnings that make it worth telling and relevant?”
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