A prequel to The Hunger Games is in the works!

by |June 18, 2019

Almost a decade after the release of Mockingjay, Suzanne Collins is returning to Panem with a brand new Hunger Games book. This is huge news – The Hunger Games is widely credited as being the book series that kicked off a huge surge in the popularity of dystopian fantasy in young adult literature.

Scholastic, Collins’ American publisher, dropped the news overnight and, needless to say, readers everywhere are buzzing. Collins has hinted at a return to the world of Panem in previous years, but this is the first time she’s announced anything concrete.

Here’s everything you need to know…


When will it be set?

Collins plans to open this novel on the morning of the reaping of the 10th Hunger Games, 64 years before the events of The Hunger Games.

What is it about?

This as-yet untitled book will take up the story of the “Dark Days”, a failed rebellion that took place in the unstable early days of Panem.

Collins said, “With this book, I wanted to explore the state of nature, who we are, and what we perceive is required for our survival. The reconstruction period 10 years after the war, commonly referred to as the Dark Days – as the country of Panem struggles back to its feet – provides fertile ground for characters to grapple with these questions and thereby define their views of humanity.”

Will we be seeing any familiar faces?

Scholastic, Suzanne’s US publisher, have declined to comment on exactly which characters the book will focus on, but we can definitely do some reading between the lines here.

Considering that this book is set waaaaaaay before The Hunger Games, don’t expect to see Katniss or Peeta. Some eagle-eyed fans have pointed out that this is around the time that Mags Flanagan became the Tribute for District 4 for the 11th Hunger Games (which she won). This could potentially make her a major player in this drama, especially if it expands to become a trilogy of its own.

We can only speculate for now, but I do have a funny feeling we may be seeing a little bit more of President Snow…

When is it coming?

The book is set to hit shelves in Australia on May 19th, 2020 – less than a year!

Will we get a movie?

Most probably – Lionsgate (the production company behind the original trilogy’s adaptations) is already circling.

Joe Drake, Chairman of Lionsgate, said, “As the proud home of the Hunger Games movies, we can hardly wait for Suzanne’s next book to be published. We’ve been communicating with her during the writing process and we look forward to continuing to work closely with her on the movie.”


That’s all I’ve got on this piece of exciting news so far, but rest assured that I will be updating this post as the updates come rolling in…

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About the Contributor

Olivia Fricot (she/her) is Booktopia's Senior Content Producer and editor of the Booktopian blog. She has too many plants and not enough bookshelves, and you can usually find her reading, baking, or talking to said plants. She is pro-Oxford comma.

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