Here's your first look at the next Hunger Games book
Sunrise On The Reaping, a prequel about Haymitch Abernathy, hits shelves on March 18
Screenshot: Lionsgate/YouTube
With all respect to Suzanne Collins and her anti-fascist young adult novels, the announcement of the new Hunger Games prequel Sunrise On The Reaping did seem suspiciously like the powers that be got excited about squeezing more money out of the franchise after The Ballad Of Songbirds And Snakes. That theory is reinforced by the fact that a movie based on the novel was greenlit at the same time the book was announced, and also by the cover of Sunrise, which was revealed on the Today Show on Tuesday. The symbol on the cover combines a sunrise, a songbird, and a snake. You see, it’s all part of the same murderous continuity you know and love, guys!
In all seriousness, the Hunger Games series has done a good job with its imagery; the “mockingjay” holding an arrow symbol is a fan favorite and has become synonymous with the franchise. The Songbirds And Snakes design was less iconic but fit pretty seamlessly in with its predecessor. The Sunrise On The Reaping design is just a bit… weirder? It’s like a CatDog of a bird and a snake. It looks somewhat awkward, but the symbology will supposedly resonate more when the book hits shelves on March 18, 2025, according to David Levithan, Scholastic’s vice president, publisher and editorial director.
Image courtesy of Scholastic
“The spiky sun rises on a symbol that will come to mean a lot to Haymitch Abernathy, as well as countless readers,” Levithan said in a statement to Today. “Artist Tim O’Brien has created yet another iconic Hunger Games cover—this one symbolically exploring one of the central themes of the series: how conflicting forces can be connected by their common nature, the songbird and the snake springing from the same source.”