Sunrise on the Reaping will serve as a prequel to the original trilogy
The world of Panem is continuing to expand. Hunger Games author Suzanne Collins has announced a new novel in the series, titled Sunrise on the Reaping, which will be released next year. It will mark the fifth book in the series, following The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, Mockingjay, and The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.
Sunrise on the Reaping will serve as a prequel to the original trilogy, taking place 40 years after the events of the most recent novel, according to the Associated Press. The new book, out March 18, 2025, begins with the reaping of the Fiftieth Hunger Games.
“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,’” Collins told the AP. “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.”
While film rights for Sunrise on the Reaping have not yet been announced, it’s a safe bet that it will make its way to the big screen like the novels before it. The original trilogy was adapted into four blockbuster hits starring Jennifer Lawrence as heroine Katniss Everdeen, which launched the actress to worldwide fame. The film version of Songbirds and Snakes, starring Rachel Zegler, came out last year.
