The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is a dystopian action-adventure novel by American author Suzanne Collins. It is a spinoff and a prequel to The Hunger Games trilogy. It was released May 19, 2020, published 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]

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

North American first edition cover
Author	Suzanne Collins
Country	United States
Language	English
Series	The Hunger Games
Genre	Adventure War Science fiction Action Thriller
Publisher	Scholastic
Publication date	May 19, 2020
Pages	517
ISBN	9780702300172
Followed by	The Hunger Games Trilogy

Synopsis

Set against the backdrop of the 10th Hunger Games, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes revolves around the adventures of a teenage Coriolanus Snow, who would become the dictatorial president of the fictional nation of Panem by the events of the original trilogy. With his family on the brink of poverty, Coriolanus is tasked with mentoring District 12 tribute Lucy Gray Baird for his one shot at glory.

Plot

Coriolanus Snow is chosen to mentor a tribute in the upcoming 10th Hunger Games. For Coriolanus, whose family lost their wealth during the Dark Days, mentoring a winning tribute could secure him a scholarship to the University. To his dismay, Coriolanus is assigned Lucy Gray Baird from District 12 - a small, impoverished district whose tributes have little chance of winning. His dismay quickly turns to hope, however, after Lucy Gray sings on stage at the reaping and sparks the Capitol's attention. Coriolanus goes to the train station to greet Lucy Gray, who has been brought with the other tributes to the Capitol in dirty cattle cars. Coriolanus is nearly killed by Reaper from District 11 in the car.

At the Academy, Head Gamemaker Dr. Volumnia Gaul lectures the mentors on the importance of keeping the Games alive and relevant to the people of Panem. When Coriolanus visits the tributes at the Capitol Zoo's monkey enclosure, he encounters Sejanus Plinth - another mentor whose family's wealth bought them a life in the Capitol from their native District 2. After Coriolanus realises that the tributes have not been fed since arriving in the Capitol, he begins sneaking Lucy Gray food from the Academy. The other mentors follow suit, but the arrangement ends when one mentor, Arachne Crane, is murdered by her tribute Brandy after Arachne taunts her with a sandwich. Clemensia, Coriolanus's team member for a group project, is distraught by the murder, leaving Coriolanus to complete it alone. He presents the essay to Dr. Gaul, proposing a betting scheme and sponsorship of the tributes to engage the people of the Capitol in the Games. Dr. Gaul has both Coriolanus and Clemensia reach into a tank of snakes which have been introduced to the paper. The snakes leave Coriolanus alone, but they bite Clemensia, thus telling Dr. Gaul that they did not write it together.

During a tour of the dilapidated Arena, undetected bombs from the Dark Days explode, killing several tributes and mentors, while Marcus from District 2 escapes into the Capitol. Some of the remaining mentors and their tributes partake in televised interviews to garner favor and donations. Lucy Gray is the highlight of the evening, after she performs a ballad for a former lover back home. At their final meeting, Coriolanus and Lucy Gray develop a strategy for her to hide during the Games and let the other tributes either starve or kill each other. He gives her a good-luck token - his dead mother’s silver makeup compact - and subtly hints that she should fill it with rat poison from the monkey enclosure. The Games begin, and many tributes quickly die from starvation, disease, or injuries sustained during the explosions. Dr. Gaul enacts Coriolanus' proposals, and the mentors are given communicuffs which allow them to send food and water to their tribute during the Games via drone. Sejanus, resentful of both the Capitol and the Games, enters the Arena at night to die as a martyr. Coriolanus, his only friend among the mentors, is summoned by Dr. Gaul to extract him. Untelevised, Coriolanus follows Sejanus into the Arena and convinces him to leave. As they make their escape, they are attacked by several tributes; in the ensuing melee, Coriolanus kills Bobbin, the male tribute from District 8. The whole episode is kept quiet, and the murder is put down to a mysterious death off-camera by the Gamemakers.

After learning that rainbow snake muttations would be released into the Arena, Coriolanus slips a handkerchief used by Lucy Gray into the tank of snakes to familiarize them with her scent. As a result, Lucy Gray is not attacked by the muttations; using them as a weapon, along with the rat poison, Lucy Gray is declared the victor of the Games. However, at a celebration party at the Academy, Coriolanus is confronted with the handkerchief, makeup compact, and an Academy stamped napkin, implicating him in cheating in the Games and stealing food from the Academy. Coriolanus, facing punishment and public humiliation, chooses to become a Peacekeeper in District 12, hoping to reunite with Lucy Gray. He encounters Sejanus, who has also become a Peacekeeper after the incident in the Arena. The two are assigned on a mission to recover jabberjays - bird muttations that can record human speech - from the wild, so they can be studied in the Capitol.

Coriolanus reunites with Lucy Gray during a performance at the local black market, the Hob. He resolves to build a future for himself as an officer, and takes the aptitude test to begin the training. During a day at the lake with Lucy Gray and her band, the Covey, Coriolanus debates the necessity of the Capitol and the Hunger Games with her. Upon their return, Coriolanus sees Sejanus talking to a black market arms dealer at the Hob, leading him to fear that Sejanus is planning something dangerous. His suspicions are confirmed when Sejanus explains his plan to drug the prison guards and escape north with a group through a break in the district fence. Coriolanus surreptitiously records the conversation using the jabberjays, and sends it to the Capitol in the hopes that Dr. Gaul discovers it.

At another concert, Coriolanus notices that Sejanus has snuck off during the show. He confronts him in a shed behind the Hob, only to have a gun pointed at him by Spruce, a District 12 native. Lucy Gray enters the shed as well, having just finished a performance. They are told of the plan by many District 12 residents to escape north where it is rumored some people live beyond the Capitol's control. Sejanus has acquired several guns for the group to survive in the wild. Lucy Gray's former lover Billy Taupe, and the Mayor's daughter, Mayfair, overhear the conversation and threaten to turn in the conspirators. They are shot dead by Spruce and Coriolanus. The group returns to the concert as an alibi while Spruce goes to dispose of the weapons.

The bodies are discovered by the Covey after the concert. The Mayor is outraged and becomes convinced that Lucy Gray is behind the murder. Spruce is discovered severely injured, and dies without revealing the events of the murders. Sejanus is arrested by Peacekeepers and hanged, leaving Lucy Gray and Coriolanus as the only remaining witnesses of the murders. He is called to the Commander’s office, where he learns that Dr. Gaul discovered his message about Sejanus’ treason. Lucy Gray tells Coriolanus that she is going to escape North and he decides to leave with her. She performs one last song, “The Hanging Tree,” in which she encodes instructions for Coriolanus to meet her at the hanging gallows for their escape. The next morning, Coriolanus wakes early for the escape when he is intercepted by the Commander. He is told that he has passed the officer test and will be leaving the next day for an elite training school in District 2. He hurries out of the office, still bent on leaving with Lucy Gray.

They make it to the lake and enter a partially-ruined house to escape from the rain. It is there that Coriolanus finds the hidden guns. Lucy Gray hastily exits the house to collect some food. He realizes that if he destroyed the weapons, there would be no link between him and the murders, allowing him to rejoin Capitol society as a successful officer. He soon realizes that Lucy Gray must have made the same realization and pursues her into the woods with the rifle. Worried that she might kill him out of fear, Coriolanus discovers her scarf and is attacked by a hiding snake. Angered and believing her to be nearby, he begins shooting randomly into the woods, but is unable to determine if he succeeded in killing or injuring her. After dumping the incriminating weapons in the lake, Coriolanus returns to District 12.

His absence went unnoticed by his bunkmates and he is treated for the snake bite in the clinic. Coriolanus boards a hovercraft bound for District 2 with Sejanus’ personal possessions, intending to return them to the Plinth family. Upon arrival, Coriolanus is surprised to find himself back in the Capitol, and is brought to meet with Dr. Gaul. She explains that she did not intend for him to remain a Peacekeeper for life, and that this summer was to give him experience in the districts and to help him better understand the people who live there. They have a discussion about control, chaos, and the social contract. Coriolanus is completely convinced of the necessity of the Games and the importance of the Capitol. He is also told that he will be given an honorable discharge from the Peacekeepers and is enrolled in the University to continue tutelage under Dr. Gaul that fall.

In the epilogue, Coriolanus implements many of his ideas into future Hunger Games as a Gamemaker. He is made heir to the vast Plinth fortune by Sejanus's grateful family. Lucy Gray is never seen again, leaving her fate unknown. This ends with Coriolanus saying Snow lands on Top, as always.

Reception

Critics had a mixed overall reception to the novel, some stating it would "[be] sure to appease fans with answers about who came up with the idea of the Hunger Games in the first place" and calling it "pleasing and thrilling," while others criticized the length, philosophical undertones and its use of Coriolanus Snow as the protagonist.[3]

The Guardian praised the novel: "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 stated 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 novel is "both a tense, character-driven piece and a cautionary tale."[6]

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."[7] 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-.[8]

Film adaptation

In August of 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.[9]

On June 17, 2019, Joe Drake, Chairman of the Lionsgate Motion Picture Group, announced that the company is working with Collins with regards to an adaptation of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.[10]

In April 2020, Collins and Lionsgate confirmed that plans were underway for the movie's development. Casting has not yet begun, but director Francis Lawrence has been confirmed to return after his success with The Hunger Games trilogy. The scriptwriter will be Michael Arndt, with Nina Jacobson and author Suzanne Collins as producers.[11]

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 2020-04-23.
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. McCreesh, Louise (2020-05-19). "Hunger Games prequel The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes gets a mixed response from critics". Digital Spy. Retrieved 2020-05-20.
4. Womack, Philip (2020-05-19). "The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes review – a sleek Hunger Games prequel". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2020-05-20.
5. "The 'Hunger Games' Prequel Adds New Dimensions to President Snow". Time. Retrieved 2020-05-20.
6. THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS AND SNAKES | Kirkus Reviews.
7. Goldsbrough, Susannah (2020-05-19). "The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins, review: less Hunger Games, more sixth-form philosophy". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2020-05-20.
8. "Your highly-anticipated review of the 'Hunger Games' prequel book". EW.com. Retrieved 2020-05-20.
9. Lang, Brent (2017-08-08). "Lionsgate Chief Says 'Hunger Games,' 'Twilight' Have 'More Stories to Tell'". Variety. Retrieved 2018-01-30.
10. "'Hunger Games' Prequel Novel From Suzanne Collins Coming in 2020, Lionsgate in Talks For Movie". Deadline. June 17, 2019. Retrieved August 15, 2019.
11. "Hunger Games Prequel Movie The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes Officially Set by Lionsgate". DenofGeek. April 21, 2020. Retrieved May 18, 2020.