The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
North American first edition cover
AuthorSuzanne Collins
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
SeriesThe Hunger Games
Genre
PublisherScholastic
Publication date
May 19, 2020
Pages517
ISBN9780702300172
Followed byThe Hunger Games 

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is a dystopian action-adventure novel written by 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. An audiobook of the novel, read by American actor Santino Fontana, was released simultaneously with the printed edition.[1] The book received 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.

Plot

The Capitol of Panem has defeated 12 of the districts and destroyed District 13 after a series of tensions. The once wealthy and powerful Snow family is now struggling, with eighteen-year-old Coriolanus Snow, his cousin Tigris, and their grandmother (“The Grandma’am”) being the only family members to survive the war. Coriolanus’ father, a Capitol general, left no inheritance for the family due to their wealth having come from the munitions industry in the now-wiped out District 13. The Snow family prizes image and power above all, pretending to be as wealthy as their peers, and the family’s future success and survival depend on Coriolanus rising to prominence in adulthood.

To punish the rebellious Districts for the devastation of the war, two 'tributes', a boy and a girl from each District, are chosen to fight to the death in an annual competition known as the Hunger Games. The Games are televised, but are rapidly losing viewership in the Capitol and rarely watched in the Districts. Coriolanus, a student at the Capitol’s Academy, is chosen to mentor a tribute in the upcoming 10th Hunger Games as part of the Gamemaker’s efforts to renew the public’s interest in the Games. In return for their mentorship, participating students have the chance to win the Plinth Prize, which Coriolanus is depending on to pay his way to the University. Each of the 24 top Academy students are assigned a tribute, and Coriolanus is assigned the District 12 female tribute, Lucy Gray Baird, a member of the Covey nomadic music band. He is initially upset by this, as District 12 is poor and their tributes are generally underfed, weak children who do not survive long in the Games. However, during the reaping, Lucy Gray sparks the Capitol's attention by defiantly singing and slipping a snake into the clothing of Mayfair Lipp, the District 12 mayor's cruel daughter, and Coriolanus begins to see that she may be a viable candidate for a Victor after all.

Trying to get ahead of his competition, Coriolanus meets Lucy Gray at the Capitol train station and in the process is accidentally locked up in the tributes’ cabin. While trapped, Lucy Gray dissuades the other tributes from killing him. The tributes are put on display in the Capitol Zoo to humiliate them, but Coriolanus urges Lucy Gray to utilize her talents to entertain Capitol citizens and win their sympathy.

After learning the Capitol intentionally starves the tributes, Coriolanus begins to bring Lucy Gray food. The other mentors follow suit, including Coriolanus’s classmate, Sejanus Plinth. While Sejanus considers Coriolanus to be his best friend, Coriolanus resents him due to the Plinth’s rise to the Capitol— when District 13 was destroyed, taking the Snow fortune with it, the Plinth’s business took off and the family moved from District 2 to the Capitol. Sejanus’s father has arranged for him to be the mentor for District 2, and as a result Sejanus is unable to build trust with his former classmate turned tribute, Marcus, while Coriolanus and Lucy Gray begin building a rapport. While at the zoo, another mentor, Arachne Crane, abuses her tribute, Brandy, causing her to fatally stab Arachne. The Peacekeepers shoot Brandy, and her body is paraded at Arachne's funeral procession.

Prior to Arachne’s death, she, Clemensia Dovecote, and Coriolanus are asked to write a joint essay on ideas to increase the Games’ viewership by the Head Gamemaker, Dr. Volumnia Gaul. Due to being upset in the wake of Arachne’s death, Celemensia forgoes the assignment, which Coriolanus completes alone and submits to Dr. Gaul. In the essay, he proposes the allowance of betting on the Games, and that the public be allowed to send the Tributes gifts while in the Arena. When Clemensia takes credit for the essay despite having not contributed, Dr. Gaul drops it into a tank of genetically engineered snakes that only attack unknown scents. Coriolanus and Clemensia are forced to retrieve the document by hand. The snakes ignore Coriolanus, having recognized his scent on the paper, and instead attack Clemensia. She survives but is permanently handicapped, and the truth is kept from her family.

Coriolanus and Lucy Gray bond over their difficult childhoods while strategizing ways to make her continue to stand out and thus win support from the Capitol. During a tour of the Games Arena, rebel bombs explode, killing several tributes and mentors. Rather than escaping, Lucy Gray instead saves Coriolanus from a fallen beam; Marcus escapes amid the chaos.

During their final meeting before the games begin, Coriolanus and Lucy Gray share an intimate farewell kiss. He gives her a makeup compact that had been his mothers, hinting that she should fill it with rat poison to use as a weapon. The games open with a captured and tortured Marcus, chained and suspended from a beam above the arena floor. Meanwhile, Dr. Gaul implements Coriolanus' proposals, increasing Capitol viewership. Sejanus, overwhelmed with guilt for Marcus, enters the arena to die as a martyr. Coriolanus extracts Sejanus on Dr. Gaul’s orders, but tributes attack them, forcing Coriolanus to kill one in self-defense. The Games footage is altered to hide their presence.

The Games drag on for several days, with the few surviving Tributes generally hiding amongst the rubble left from the bombing. While she doesn’t fight, Lucy Gray does manage to make use of the rat poison-filled compact. In Dr. Gaul's lab, Coriolanus realizes that the snakes that attacked Clemensia are to be dropped into the Arena to kill the Tributes, and he drops a handkerchief bearing Lucy Gray’s scent into the tank. Inside the arena, the snakes kill the remaining tributes, but ignore Lucy Gray, and she wins the Games. Coriolanus is overjoyed, both due to his assumption that he has now won the Plinth Prize and thus secured his future, and due to his growing affections for Lucy Gray.

At a victory celebration, Casca Highbottom, the game's intellectual author, confronts Coriolanus with the handkerchief from the snake’s tank, which was embroidered with General Snow’s initials, and his mother’s compact, saying that both items constitute cheating and thus he has not won the Plinth Prize. Threatened with his family's public disgrace, Coriolanus reluctantly joins the Peacekeepers for a twenty-year contract, but requests to be assigned to the undesirable District 12 in hopes of seeing Lucy Gray again.

In 12, Coriolanus and Lucy Gray are reunited and resume their romance. Sejanus, also forced into the Peacekeepers and hoping to absolve his lingering guilt, plans with a rebel named Spruce to smuggle other dissenters beyond the northern border of Panem. Coriolanus and Lucy Gray discover the plan and argue over Sejanus' involvement. Upon discovering the mayor’s daughter, Mayfair, eavesdropping with Billy Taupe, Lucy Gray’s ex-boyfriend, Spruce and Coriolanus fatally shoot them. After Spruce is detained for the crime, Coriolanus secretly records Sejanus detailing his involvement in the plan and sends it to Dr. Gaul using a "jabberjay,” a genetically modified bird that mimics and replays human voices. A few days later, Sejanus is hanged for treason. Knowing that there is still evidence linking himself to the murders of Mayfair and Billy Taupe, Coriolanus agrees to escape north with Lucy Gray. Shortly after, he is summoned to the garrison and told he has been selected for officer training in District 2, but knows that if the murder weapons are discovered he will be executed no matter what his rank is.

In the process of escaping District 12, Coriolanus finds the guns that killed Billy Taupe and Mayfair. Realizing that when these guns are destroyed, Lucy Gray is the only link to his crimes, he turns on her. As he pursues her in the forest, a snake bites Coriolanus, causing hallucinations. He shoots at what he believes to be Lucy Gray and hears a scream, then the noise of jabberjays and mockingjays, a jabberjay-mockingbird hybrid, echoing her singing.

Having destroyed the guns and lost all traces of Lucy Gray, Coriolanus reports for his officer training but is brought to the Capitol to meet with Dr. Gaul, who explains that she gave Highbottom the evidence of his cheating and arranged his military service. She tells him that she was intending to shatter his idealism and make him recognize humanity's violent nature, which authority must contain. Dr. Gaul orders all 10th Hunger Games recordings destroyed, considering them an embarrassment. Coriolanus receives a spot at the University, and Sejanus' parents adopt him as their heir, unaware that his betrayal led to their son's death.

Highbottom meets with Coriolanus and tells him that he never intended for the Games to become a reality. When he and Crassus Snow, Coriolanus' father, were University classmates, they were tasked with creating a severe punishment to permanently subdue the districts. One drunken night, Highbottom jokingly told Crassus his idea of the Games, and Crassus sent it to Dr. Gaul under Highbottom’s name to gain her favor. Highbottom never forgave Crassus and says his deceitful nature is in his son; Coriolanus then poisons Highbottom with his own drugs. He eventually succeeds Dr. Gaul as Head Gamemaker and introduces many improvements, starting his path to power. Whether she managed to escape the country or died in the woods, Lucy Gray Baird was never seen or heard from again.

Characters

  • Coriolanus "Coryo" Snow - The main 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. His mother died during childbirth, as well as his baby sister, and his father died during the war, leaving him under the care of his grandmother. He is arrogant, cunning and strategic, taking whatever actions are necessary to improve his situation. Coriolanus becomes infatuated with Lucy Gray after becoming her mentor during the tenth Hunger Games. Coriolanus is faced with a decision between power, status, or love. He works as a Peacekeeper and Gamemaker working his way up to eventually becoming the president of Panem.
  • 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. She wears a beautiful rainbow dress to her reaping and draws the Capitol's attention with her charm, talent and by slipping a snake down the District 12 mayor's daughter's dress. She's a smart and calculating free spirit, and eventually develops a romantic connection with Snow. Her fate at the end of the book is unknown, though she is presumed to have died by the beginning of the original series.
  • Tigris Snow - Coriolanus' 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. It is unclear what the cause of death of her parents was. She is gentle and kind towards her cousin, sacrificing a lot for his well being. She eventually becomes a stylist in the Games and heavily modifies her appearance to resemble a tiger. It is unclear how her relationship with Coriolanus developed from this time to the end of the original trilogy, in which she helps the rebels and smiles upon learning Katniss' intention of killing her cousin.
  • Sejanus Plinth - Coriolanus' classmate and fellow mentor in the Games. Originally 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. Sejanus ends up a Peacekeeper alongside Coriolanus and considers him one of his closest friends, yet it is Coriolanus who eventually exposes him as a traitor to the Capitol and ensures his death.
  • 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. She is indirectly responsible for Snow’s descent into deceit and authority so that he may succeed her and continue the Games. Hated by many people of all districts, she is presented as a sadistic, misanthropic old crone.
  • 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' 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; though currently her advanced age seems to be catching up to her.
  • The Covey - A nomadic singing group. They were forced to settle in District 12 after the war, and all who resisted were killed. Most of the remaining members are related to one another and make money singing at events or at the local bar.
  • 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; Lucy Gray in turn humiliates her by putting a snake down her dress. 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' 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.

Reception

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes has received positive reviews.[3] Even though book critics had an overall mixed reception to the novel upon its release day,[4] the review aggregator website Book Marks, which assigns individual ratings to book reviews from mainstream literary critics, indicated that the novel received a cumulative "Positive" rating, based on 19 reviews.[5]

The Guardian praised the book: "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."[6] Similarly, Time stated that Collins shines most "as she weaves in tantalising details that lend depth to the gruesome world she created in the original series."[7] Kirkus Reviews gave it a starred review, saying the book is "both a tense, character-driven piece and a cautionary tale."[8]

Meanwhile, The Telegraph criticized it as "not the most promising opening [fans expected]" and that Collins should "stick to plucky heroes and dazzling plot-twists. When it comes to writing the murkiest backwaters of the human psyche, Collins is fathoms out of her depth."[9] Entertainment Weekly said of the storytelling: "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−.[10]

Film adaptation

In August 2017, Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer expressed interest in spin-offs of The Hunger Games, with intentions to create a writers' room to explore the concept.[11]

In June 2019, Joe Drake, Chairman of the Lionsgate Motion Picture Group, announced that the company was working with Collins with regards to an adaptation of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.[12] By April 2020, Collins and Lionsgate confirmed that plans were underway for the film's development. Casting had not yet begun, but director Francis Lawrence has been confirmed to return after his success with The Hunger Games trilogy. The film’s writer will be Michael Arndt, with Nina Jacobson and author Suzanne Collins as producers.[13]

In August 2021, Lionsgate 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."[14] On April 28, 2022, it was announced that the film will release on November 17, 2023.[15]

On May 16, 2022, it was announced that Tom Blyth had been cast as the young Coriolanus Snow.[16] On May 31, Rachel Zegler was cast as Lucy Gray Baird.[17] On June 15, Josh Andrés Rivera was cast as Sejanus Plinth.[18] On June 22, Hunter Schafer was cast as Tigris.[19] On June 27, Jason Schwartzman was cast as Lucretius "Lucky" Flickerman. In July, Peter Dinklage was reported to have been cast as Dean Highbottom.[20]

On June 6, 2022, Lionsgate Motion Picture Group released a teaser trailer for the film, followed by a full trailer on April 27, 2023. On November 17, the film was released in theaters to general good reviews from critics.[21][22][23]

References

  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". Spokesman-Review. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
  3. ↑ Oliveira, Pedro Henrique Ribeiro de (June 19, 2020). "Leia o que a imprensa internacional achou de A Cantiga dos Pássaros e das Serpentes". Distrito 13. Retrieved February 9, 2022.
  4. ↑ McCreesh, Louise (May 19, 2020). "Hunger Games prequel The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes gets a mixed response from critics". Digital Spy. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  5. ↑ "Book Marks reviews of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (a Hunger Games Novel) by Suzanne Collins". Book Marks. Retrieved February 9, 2022.
  6. ↑ 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.
  7. ↑ "The 'Hunger Games' Prequel Adds New Dimensions to President Snow". Time. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  8. ↑ The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes | Kirkus Reviews.
  9. ↑ Goldsbrough, Susannah (May 19, 2020). "The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins, review: less Hunger Games, more sixth-form philosophy". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  10. ↑ "Your highly-anticipated review of the 'Hunger Games' prequel book". EW.com. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  11. ↑ Lang, Brent (August 8, 2017). "Lionsgate Chief Says 'Hunger Games,' 'Twilight' Have 'More Stories to Tell'". Variety. Retrieved January 30, 2018.
  12. ↑ "'Hunger Games' Prequel Novel From Suzanne Collins Coming in 2020, Lionsgate in Talks For Movie". Deadline. June 17, 2019. Retrieved August 15, 2019.
  13. ↑ "Hunger Games Prequel Movie The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes Officially Set by Lionsgate". Den of Geek. April 21, 2020. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
  14. ↑ 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.
  15. ↑ 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.
  16. ↑ Jen Juneau. "The Hunger Games Prequel Casts Billy the Kid's Tom Blyth as a Young President Snow". Peoplemag. Retrieved May 24, 2022.
  17. ↑ 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'".
  18. ↑ Galuppo, Mia (June 15, 2022). "'Hunger Games' Prequel Enlists 'West Side Story' Star Josh Andrés Rivera". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 15, 2022.
  19. ↑ "'Euphoria' Star Hunter Schafer Joins 'The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes'". Variety. June 22, 2022. Retrieved June 24, 2022.
  20. ↑ "'Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes': Peter Dinklage to Co-Star in Lionsgate Prequel". July 18, 2022.
  21. ↑ The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (2023 Movie) - Reveal, retrieved June 6, 2022
  22. ↑ The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (2023 Movie) - Reveal, retrieved April 27, 2023
  23. ↑ The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes Rotten Tomatoes (2023 Movie), retrieved November 27, 2023
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