The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

2020 novel by Suzanne Collins

This article is about the book. For its film adaptation, see The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.

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North American first edition cover

Author| Suzanne Collins
Language| English
Series| The Hunger Games
Genre| Adventure, War, Science fiction, Romance, Action Thriller, Dystopian
Publisher| Scholastic

Publication date

| May 19, 2020
Publication place| United States
Pages| 517
ISBN| 9780702300172
Followed by| Sunrise on the Reaping

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is a dystopian young adult action-adventure novel written by the American author Suzanne Collins. It is a prequel to the original The Hunger Games trilogy, set 64 years before the events of the first novel. It was released on May 19, 2020, by Scholastic, with an audiobook of the novel, read by the American actor Santino Fontana, released simultaneously.[1] The book had a virtual launch due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[2] A film adaptation by Lionsgate, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, was released on November 17, 2023.[3]

## Plot

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To help revive the televised Hunger Games' declining viewership, 24 Capitol Academy students are chosen to mentor tributes for the upcoming 10th Hunger Games and new features are added to the Games, such as tribute interviews and gifts that sponsors supply to the tributes. Eighteen-year-old Coriolanus "Coryo" Snow hopes to win a prize to pay his way to the university and return the Snow family's prestige.

Coriolanus is assigned the District 12 female tribute, Lucy Gray Baird, a member of the Covey, a nomadic music band. District 12, the poorest district, has never produced a victor. However, during the reaping, she sparks the Capitol's attention by defiantly singing and by slipping a snake into the dress of Mayfair Lipp, the daughter of District 12's mayor. Coriolanus starts considering her a possible victor and urges Lucy Gray to use her musical abilities to garner Capitol viewers' favor and gifts during the Games.

During a Games arena tour, rebel bombs explode, killing several tributes and mentors. Lucy Gray saves Coriolanus from a fallen beam while Marcus, the District 2 male tribute, escapes amid the chaos only to be later captured, tortured, and left to die in the arena. Lucy Gray and Coriolanus overcome their mutual mistrust and share their first kiss the night before the Games. During the Games, fellow student Sejanus Plinth sneaks into the arena to mourn Marcus and head gamemaker Dr. Volumnia Gaul sends an indifferent Coriolanus in to retrieve him. Coriolanus succeeds but has to kill the District 8 tribute Bobbin in self-defense when exiting. Coriolanus's family finances deteriorate when a new Capitol tax threatens their family home. His desire to win the Games and receive the Plinth Prize - a fully funded seat to the Academy - increases. With Coriolanus's help, Lucy Gray wins the Games.

Dean Casca Highbottom discovers that Coriolanus cheated by giving Lucy Gray rat poison to kill another tribute and by using a handkerchief with her scent to save her from snake mutts; Highbottom confronts Coriolanus with the evidence. Threatened with his family's public disgrace, Coriolanus reluctantly joins the Peacekeepers for a 20-year contract, but requests to be assigned to District 12, hoping to see Lucy Gray again.

In District 12, Coriolanus and Lucy Gray resume their romance. Snow begins to suspect that Sejanus, who has also been forced into the Peacekeepers, is working with rebels and so secretly records part of a conversation between himself and Sejanus, implicating the latter, and sends it to Gaul. Coriolanus and Lucy Gray discover Sejanus planning with a rebel, Spruce, to smuggle others away from District 12 and argue over Sejanus's involvement. Upon discovering Mayfair eavesdropping with Billy Taupe, Lucy Gray's ex-boyfriend, Spruce and Coriolanus kill them. Spruce is later captured for the crime and dies from his wounds. Later, due to Snow's recording, Sejanus is publicly hanged.

Knowing he can still be linked to Mayfair and Billy's murders, Coriolanus agrees to run away with Lucy Gray. While escaping District 12, Coriolanus finds the murder weapons and turns on Lucy Gray as she is the only link to his crimes. While searching for her in the woods, Coriolanus is bitten by a snake, which he believes was a booby trap set by Lucy Gray. Coriolanus chases after and shoots at her with the gun, but she escapes. While Lucy Gray escapes, Coriolanus hears her sing the last stanza of "The Hanging Tree", mockingjays echoing the melody repeatedly as Coriolanus fires wildly into the trees. Later, Coriolanus disposes of the guns and returns to District 12.

Coriolanus reports for officer training but is taken to the Capitol, where he meets Gaul, who arranges a pardon for him and gives him a place at the University; Sejanus's parents make him their heir, unaware that he betrayed their son. Later, in the epilogue, Coriolanus visits Dean Highbottom, who reveals his guilt surrounding the Games' creation, as it was a drunken idea which Coriolanus's father Crassus took seriously, before drinking a vial of morphling, unaware that Coriolanus had poisoned it. As Gamemaker, Coriolanus introduces the Victor's Village and rewards winning districts each year with money and food. This ultimately incentivizes the Games for both districts and the Capitol, thus beginning his rise to power.

## Characters

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* Coriolanus "Coryo" Snow – The protagonist of the novel. His family faced financial difficulties following the war, and he makes great efforts to hide this and maintain his social status. He is arrogant, cunning and ruthless, taking whatever actions are necessary to improve his situation.
* Lucy Gray Baird – The female tribute from District 12 for the tenth Hunger Games. Lucy Gray is a member of the Covey, a nomadic musical group forced to settle in District 12 after the war. A smart and calculating free spirit, she develops a romantic connection with Coriolanus.
* Tigris Snow – Coriolanus's cousin. She is the breadwinner of the family, leaving school and working for a fashion designer in order to support herself and her family. It is also implied she is forced to sell her body in order to keep food on the table.
* Sejanus Plinth – Coriolanus's classmate and fellow mentor in the Games. From District 2, Sejanus now lives in the Capitol because of his father's connections and business during the war. He is rebellious and idealistic, and strongly opposes the Capitol's treatment of the Districts and the existence of the Games.
* Dr. Volumnia Gaul – Head Gamemaker and the overseer of every Hunger Games since their inception. She has a twisted view of human nature and believes in an authoritarian government and the need for punishment and control over the Districts.
* Casca Highbottom – Dean of the Academy. He is credited as the intellectual author of the Games and holds great disdain towards Coriolanus and the whole Snow family. He is addicted to morphling, a drug similar to morphine.
* Grandma’am – Coriolanus's and Tigris' paternal grandmother. Her granddaughter gave her the nickname "Grandma'am" since she believed she deserved something that sounded imperial. During the war, she took care of her grandchildren, and ensured their survival.
* Mayfair Lipp – She is the daughter of District 12's mayor. Jealous of Lucy Gray and her relationship with Billy Taupe, she arranges for Lucy Gray to be reaped. Mayfair eventually becomes a spy for the Capitol in its efforts to suppress future rebellions and is murdered by Coriolanus and the rebels.
* Billy Taupe – Lucy Gray's ex-boyfriend and Mayfair's current boyfriend. He and Mayfair are shot after being caught spying on District 12's rebels.
* Strabo Plinth – Sejanus's father. He is the head of a munitions empire in District 2 that sided with the Capitol during the war, thus allowing him to buy his family's way into a new life in the Capitol. At the end of the novel, he sponsors Coriolanus and names him his heir.
* Jessup Diggs - The male tribute from District 12 for the tenth Hunger Games. He is protective and altruistic, making an alliance with Lucy Gray. He contracts rabies from a Capitol raccoon and is indirectly killed by Coriolanus and Lysistrata in order to protect Lucy Gray.

## Reception

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The Guardian praised the book, writing, "Collins's themes of friendship, betrayal, authority and oppression, as well as the extra layers of lore about mockingjays and Capitol's history, will please and thrill."[4] Similarly, Time said that Collins shines most "as she weaves in tantalising details that lend depth to the gruesome world she created in the original series".[5] Kirkus Reviews gave it a starred review, saying the book is "both a tense, character-driven piece and a cautionary tale".[6]

The Daily Telegraph reviewer criticized it as "not the most promising opening [fans expected]" and said that Collins should "stick to plucky heroes and dazzling plot-twists". She wrote that "when it comes to writing the murkiest backwaters of the human psyche, Collins is fathoms out of her depth".[7]

Darren Franich from Entertainment Weekly said, "The storytelling itself trends desperate at times. Chapters close on violent cliffhangers that edge into parody," and that "there are too many folk music interludes [and] some ludicrous franchise callbacks" but overall it "is a major work with major flaws, but it sure gives you a lot to chew on", ultimately giving it a grade of B−.[8]

## Film adaptation

[edit]

Main article: The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes

In June 2019, Joe Drake, the chairman of the Lionsgate Motion Picture Group, announced that the company was working with Collins on an adaptation of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.[9] By April 2020, Collins and Lionsgate confirmed that plans were underway for the film's development. Casting had not yet begun, but the director Francis Lawrence had been confirmed to return after his success with The Hunger Games series. The film's writer was to be Michael Arndt, with Nina Jacobson and Collins as producers.[10]

In August 2021, Lionsgate's chairman, Joe Drake, revealed that the film was in pre-production with filming expected to begin in early 2022 for a targeted release of "either late fiscal 2023 or early 2024".[11] On April 28, 2022, it was announced that the film would be released on November 17, 2023.[12]

On May 16, 2022, it was announced that Tom Blyth had been cast as the young Coriolanus Snow.[13] On May 31, Rachel Zegler was cast as Lucy Gray Baird.[14] On June 15, Josh Andrés Rivera was cast as Sejanus Plinth.[15] On June 22, Hunter Schafer was cast as Tigris.[16] On June 27, Jason Schwartzman was cast as Lucretius "Lucky" Flickerman. In July, Peter Dinklage was reported to have been cast as Dean Highbottom.[17]

On June 6, 2022, Lionsgate released a teaser trailer for the film,[18] followed by a full trailer on April 27, 2023.[19] On November 17, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes was released in theaters to mixed reviews from critics.[20]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Gans, Andrew (April 8, 2020). "Tony Winner Santino Fontana Will Narrate Audio Edition of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Hunger Games Prequel". Playbill. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
2. ^ Italie, Hillel (May 17, 2020). "'Hunger Games' prequel 'Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes' to receive virtual launch". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
3. ^ "'The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes': Cast, trailer and when it hits theaters". USA Today. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
4. ^ Womack, Philip (May 19, 2020). "The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes review – a sleek Hunger Games prequel". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
5. ^ "The 'Hunger Games' Prequel Adds New Dimensions to President Snow". Time. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
6. ^ "The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes". Kirkus Reviews.
7. ^ Goldsbrough, Susannah (May 19, 2020). "The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins, review: less Hunger Games, more sixth-form philosophy". The Daily Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
8. ^ "Your highly-anticipated review of the 'Hunger Games' prequel book". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
9. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (June 17, 2019). "'Hunger Games' Prequel Novel From Suzanne Collins Coming in 2020, Lionsgate in Talks For Movie". Deadline. Archived from the original on June 17, 2019. Retrieved August 15, 2019.
10. ^ "Hunger Games Prequel Movie The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes Officially Set by Lionsgate". Den of Geek. April 21, 2020. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
11. ^ Hayes, Dade; D'Alessandro, Anthony (August 5, 2021). "'Hunger Games' Prequel To Start Production In First Half Of 2022, Lionsgate Film Boss Joe Drake Says". Deadline. Retrieved August 6, 2021.
12. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (April 28, 2022). "'Hunger Games' Prequel 'The Ballad Of Songbirds And Snakes' Gets 2023 Release Date – CinemaCon". Deadline. Retrieved April 29, 2022.
13. ^ Juneau, Jen (May 16, 2022). "The Hunger Games Prequel Casts Billy the Kid's Tom Blyth as a Young President Snow". People. Retrieved May 24, 2022.
14. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (May 31, 2022). "Rachel Zegler To Play Lucy Gray Baird In Lionsgate's 'The Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds And Snakes'". Deadline.
15. ^ Galuppo, Mia (June 15, 2022). "'Hunger Games' Prequel Enlists 'West Side Story' Star Josh Andrés Rivera". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 15, 2022.
16. ^ "'Euphoria' Star Hunter Schafer Joins 'The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes '". Variety. June 22, 2022. Retrieved June 24, 2022.
17. ^ "'Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes': Peter Dinklage to Co-Star in Lionsgate Prequel". Deadline. July 18, 2022.
18. ^ Choe, Brandon (June 5, 2022). "'The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds And Snakes': Lionsgate Releases Teaser For Trilogy's Prequel". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 3, 2025.
19. ^ Goldsmith, Jill (September 20, 2023). "'The Hunger Games" Prequel 'The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes' Unveils New Trailer Teasing Rachel Zegler's Fight For Survival - Update". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 3, 2025.
20. ^ "The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (2023 Movie) - Reveal". YouTube. June 5, 2022. Retrieved June 6, 2022.
\- "The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (2023 Movie) - Reveal". YouTube. April 27, 2023. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
\- "The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes Rotten Tomatoes (2023 Movie)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved November 27, 2023.

## External links

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Wikiquote has quotations related to The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.

* The U.S. Scholastic Website

Portals:

* Books
* Literature

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Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games

Novel series|

* The Hunger Games (2008)
* Catching Fire (2009)
* Mockingjay (2010)
* The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (2020)
* Sunrise on the Reaping (2025)

Film series|

* The Hunger Games (2012)
* Catching Fire (2013)
* Mockingjay – Part 1 (2014)
* Part 2 (2015)
* The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (2023)
* Sunrise on the Reaping (2026)
* Accolades

Characters|

* Katniss Everdeen
* Peeta Mellark
* Coriolanus Snow

Music|

* The Hunger Games
* soundtrack
* "Safe & Sound"
* "Eyes Open"
* score
* Catching Fire
* soundtrack
* "Atlas"
* "Elastic Heart"
* "We Remain"
* "Who We Are"
* score
* Mockingjay – Part 1
* soundtrack
* "Meltdown"
* "All My Love"
* "Yellow Flicker Beat"
* "The Hanging Tree"
* score
* Mockingjay – Part 2
* score
* The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes
* soundtrack
* "Can't Catch Me Now"
* score

Parodies|

* The Hunger Pains
* The Starving Games
* The Hungover Games
* "The Hunger Games Musical"
* "Treehouse of Horror XXVII"

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