For years fans have been craving a more detailed look into the complex world of Panem, more specifically about the events surrounding the Second Quarter Quell — which we know all too well as Haymitch’s games. Following the success of Suzanne Collins fourth novel The Ballad Of Songbirds and Snakes, speculation about a new Hunger Games book being published, was confirmed earlier this month with a Scholastic press release that reveals how this new novel will take place during the sunrise of the 50th Hunger Games reaping.
The news of this novel came as a shock to many, given that Collins continues to emphasize the mindset that she will not appeal to the masses for quick cash grab literature — but will rather create and release pieces of writing that are authentic in themes she feels most passionate about expressing. With that said, ever since the release of Catching Fire which briefly discussed the events of Haymitch’s games, fans have wanted and continued to vocalize their interest in having the Second Quarter Quell be the main storyline for a new book written by Suzanne. Although her fourth prequel installment in the franchise surrounding the 10th Hunger Games was both a publishing and box-office success, many people were still left craving stories about the other characters we know and love such as Finnick, Johanna, or Haymitch.
For Suzanne to not only return to the world of Panem, but to also center the focus of this new story on the Second Quarter Quell, reveals her intent to represent newer themes to the franchise which for this novel, is all about propaganda. She explains her inspiration for the new book in this statement of hers, “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.’ 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.”
This brings up the main question- who will the narrative surround in Sunrise on the Reaping. Since we basically already have a play-by-play of the 50th Hunger Games in Catching Fire and how it relates to Haymitch’s character, I am left to wonder whether or not the story will actually be focused on him. Since The Ballad Of Songbirds and Snakes took a more in depth look into the Capitol and District 12 societies, that means we already have 4 books that surround the Hunger Games culture of 2 specific places in Panem. To have another story from the District 12 perspective of Haymitch, might start to feel redundant as we were already introduced to Panem in District 12 through Katniss, and revisited District 12 through Snow and Lucy Gray.
With this said, if the story isn’t about Haymitch and District 12, who could it be about? Well we already know from the title that the story takes place during the sunrise and during a reaping. Since we already know that District 1 begins the reaping at the start of the reaping day in the early morning, I theorize that the story for this new novel — or at least part of it, could be surrounding a career-tribute from District 1 or 2 starting during the sunrise of their Districts reaping ceremony. In Catching Fire, it was revealed how at the end of the Second Quarter Quell, it was Haymitch and the remaining District 1 female-tribute left fighting each other to become the Victor of the 50th Hunger Games. Therefore, given that there is already an established career-character that we know plays a heavy role into the ending of 50th Games, I think we may see a big part of this new novel focus on the Career tributes from District 1 and 2.
In Suzanne’s statement, she discusses how propaganda heavily inspired themes for this book. Knowing that District 1 and 2 are closest to the Capitol both physically and metaphorically — it can be assumed how themes of propaganda may develop a new story that may give us the insight as to why the tributes from Districts 1 and 2 are so willing to volunteer for the Hunger Games, and basically be willing to die for a cause they think they are ultimately serving.
From the start of the franchise we have known that the career districts — mainly 1 and 2 — are provided with resources, knowledge, economic support, infrastructure, food, luxuries, etc. from the Capitol that other Districts don’t receive — and in return they would train and prepare their young to fight and win in the Hunger Games every year. By doing so, the people of District’s 1 and 2 ultimately believe they are serving a purpose by maintaining their pride and victories in the games which are continually rewarded every year by the Capitol as they win with unfair advantages that the less connected districts don’t have from the Capitol. What District 1 and 2 are blinded by in their continued victories each year, is that the Capitol is simply manipulating and using them as a means of having total control over all society, and who wins the games. Because at the end of the day despite the luxuries Districts 1 and 2 receive from the Capitol they still have to send their kids to fight to the death where only 1 will return home.
So it would be very interesting to see the mindset of the citizens in District 1 and 2, and how they have grown to become so passionate and supportive of the Hunger Games every year, knowing they still have to have send their own die in order to continue receive the luxuries and accolades they know and are accustomed to as their culture and society in the career districts. It will also be interesting to see how that showcases the people in power, and how they can use their resources to govern and control people to their own ultimate benefits and goals — for this story, being how the Capitol uses propaganda, the Hunger Games, and their power over resources to maintain control over the all the Districts and Panem as a whole.
Following the announcement of the novel, on the same day we also received the exciting news that the following year a film would be released for the novel with the same production company and director as the previous 4 films — Lionsgate and Francis Lawrence. So keep an eye out for the new Hunger Games novel by Suzanne Collins, Sunrise on the Reaping, publishing on March 18th 2025, with a following film release date for November 20th, 2026! So re-read the franchise, re-watch the films, and get excited as we await the highly anticipated new Hunger Games story: Sunrise on the Reaping.