Five years after the publication of her last novel – The Hunger Games: The Ballad of the Serpent and the Songbird – American author Suzanne Collins invites us to discover a new prequel set in the world of Panem. And this time, readers will be able to discover the inside story of a story first told in 2009. Fans of The Hunger Games generally agree that Catching Fire is the best volume in the franchise, and for a multitude of reasons. But one passage remains particularly etched in people's minds even today: the discovery of Haymitch's Games.
During their training for the Games of Atonement – the special edition of the Hunger Games organized every 25 years – Katniss and Peeta study old recordings and end up watching their mentor's year of participation. This gives the tributes of District 12 the opportunity to discover a more vulnerable side of Haymitch, as well as the source of his traumas. Readers have long asked for a novel dedicated to this event(some fans even went so far as to make a fan film on YouTube), and it's now a done deal. Available since February 20, 2025 in French bookstores, The Hunger Games: Sunrise over the reaping finally reveals the sad reality behind Haymitch Abernathy's past.
Think you know it all? Think again
The scene presented in the lines of Catching Fire is not short on details. Readers already know the specifics of these Hunger Games of Atonement – 48 tributes are sent into the arena, compared to the usual 24 – among other key information such as Haymitch's final confrontation or the atrocious circumstances in which his allies succumb. One might therefore believe that this fifth novel has no interest, except to capitalize on the cult franchise. But think again.
After reading a good part of the novel in its English version, published a few days earlier, Suzanne Collins still manages to keep us on the edge of our seats. With the Capitol, everything is propaganda and the images viewed by Katniss and Peeta are not always contractual. Each page of Sunrise over the Harvest is loaded with twists and turns of all kinds: an adrenaline rush specific to The Hunger Games, and still as effective 17 years after the first novel. This flashback also allows us to discover the past of other cult characters from the saga, whose names we will not mention in order to preserve the surprise for readers.
A film is already planned, and it's coming soon
If you have neither the time nor the desire to read this new novel (which we strongly recommend all the same), you should know that a film adaptation is in preparation. This one had been announced at the same time as the novel – a luxury that only a franchise like The Hunger Games can afford – with a release date set for November 20, 2026. With filming yet to begin, we can only hope that the original date will be respected.
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