Since it was announced last summer, dystopian fans everywhere have been anxiously awaiting their chance to immerse themselves in Suzanne Collins’s newest book, Sunrise on the Reaping.
This prequel of The Hunger Games opens the morning Haymitch Abernathy is reaped for his games. This is no typical reaping; then again, it is a Quarter Quell, so the Games in their entirety are different.
With double the tributes, Haymitch finds unlikely friends in the alliance of his three fellow tributes from District 12. It is with this alliance he begins his games, which are revealed to be much different from those in Catching Fire, the second book of the original trilogy.
Through this novel, Collins once again displays her attention to detail. Collins seamlessly connects the preexisting trilogy to this prequel by revealing new characters that connect to original characters in heartbreaking ways. Many readers will also find a few of their fan theories turn out to be true.
Some parts of this story come as no surprise to the audience, as they are in two books of the original trilogy, Catching Fire and Mockingjay. However, as Collins tells Haymitch’s story in-depth, the audience finds that it is more devasting than was originally revealed.
But why has Collins released a new prequel not even two years after The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, which came out November of 2023? The first prequel explored themes such as nature vs. nurture, originally introduced by John Locke, a philosopher from the 16th century. The prequel also explained the establishment and evolution of the Games.
Unfortunately, once the movie adaptation of this book was released, the fanbase developed a mad infatuation for Coriolanus Snow. As all who have read The Hunger Games know, Coriolanus (President) Snow is the main antagonist of the entire series. It is explained in Mockingjay that Snow used his looks and charms to manipulate his way to presidency.
The filmmakers did not overlook this line, casting Tom Blythe to play this character. This kicked off a frenzy of fan-edits on social media apps, such as TikTok, idolizing Snow and missing the point that Collins aimed to make with that prequel.
Although Collins has not specifically stated, the fanbase suspects that the obsession with Coriolanus Snow is what ultimately drove the author to publish this new story, aiming to remind the audience of Snow’s evil. Collins herself stated that she was inspired by a Scottish philosopher named David Hume and his ideas of implicit submission, which is a recurring theme throughout the novel.
The conclusion that this book is a response to how the last film was received is based on Collins previously having said “I only write when I have something to say.” Collins has also stated that she uses her novel writing to explore elements of just war theory and is inspired by modern conflicts, which is all too relevant with growing tensions in the modern-day world.
No matter what fans take from or assume about the book, Collins uses Sunrise on the Reaping to explore themes of oppression, inequality, violence and entertainment, and propaganda. Through the sorrowful story of Haymitch Abernathy’s games, she also explores themes of love and fear for others. Both the story and underlying themes make this an enjoyable novel.
Jessiekah Cook is a third-year Creative Writing major at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma.
