Sunrise on the Reaping

Sunrise on the Reaping is a 2025 dystopian novel written by the American author Suzanne Collins and the second prequel novel to the original The Hunger Games trilogy, following The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (2020). Set 24 years before the events of the first novel, the narrative delves into themes of political manipulation, the power of propaganda, and the complexities of societal control under a totalitarian regime and centers on the 50th Hunger Games, which Haymitch Abernathy competed in. It was released on March 18, 2025, by Scholastic.
A film adaptation was announced to be in production on June 6, 2024, and is set to be released by Lionsgate on November 20, 2026.
The second prequel begins on the morning of the reaping for the 50th Hunger Games, also known as the Second Quarter Quell, which was won by character Haymitch Abernathy. As shown in Catching Fire by the Capitol's tapes, for the Second Quarter Quell, the Capitol reaped twice the number of tributes to compete in the Hunger Games. This is in keeping with the tradition of adding a cruel twist to the Games for each Quarter Quell. The arena for the games appears to be luscious, but nearly everything is poisonous. While in the arena, Haymitch allies himself with fellow District 12 tribute Maysilee Donner, who saves his life by shooting a poisonous dart into a fellow tribute. Haymitch realizes that a forcefield surrounds the arena and that anything thrown at it bounces back before hearing Maysilee being killed by genetically modified birds. In his final showdown with a Career girl from District 1, Haymitch strategically dodges her axe throw and allows it to hit the forcefield, where it bounces back and hits her in the face, killing her and making him the winner of the games since he has outlasted the other tributes. As punishment for using the arena to his advantage, Haymitch's mother, brother, and girlfriend are all murdered upon orders from President Snow.
Collins' inspiration was a book by Scottish philosopher David Hume, specifically his ideas of implicit submission and "the easiness with which the many are governed by the few". Questions surrounding the use of propaganda and the power of media narratives also inspired Collins to explore the concept of what is ‘Real or not real?’ in the novel.
16‐year‐old Haymitch Abernathy lives in District 12 with his impoverished mother and younger brother. A tribute's attempted escape turns fatal during the reaping for the Second Quarter Quell. In a cover-up maneuver, Capitol officials—including Drusilla Sickle and cameraman Plutarch Heavensbee—appoint Haymitch as a substitute, re‐staging the reaping. His fellow District 12 tributes include Wyatt Callow, Louella McCoy, and Maysilee Donner.
Arriving in the Capitol, the tributes are dismissed as "long shots." During the Tribute Parade, a horse‐drawn chariot accident kills Louella; a drugged body double later replaces her, earning the nickname Lou Lou. With no surviving local victors, the tributes are assigned mentors from previous Games—Wiress of District 3 and Mags of District 4—and Haymitch adopts a defiant "rascal" persona in televised interviews to attract sponsors despite a disastrously low evaluation score.
During training, Beetee—a former victor whose son Ampert was reaped as punishment for Beetee's rebellious activity—recruits Haymitch for a covert plan to sabotage the arena. Alongside Plutarch's support and before the Games begin, Haymitch shares a bittersweet farewell call with his girlfriend, Lenore Dove, as he agrees to detonate explosives in the underground water tank to flood the system.
When the Games commence in an arena rife with poisonous hazards, Haymitch abandons his alliance with the Newcomers to carry out his plan. Briefly accompanied by Lou Lou—who soon dies from toxic pollen—he teams up with Ampert to trigger an explosion in the channels that release genetically mutated mutts. Although the ensuing flood fails to disable the arena fully and the mutts kill Ampert, Haymitch gains a temporary advantage. Later, amid clashes with the Career alliance, Maysilee saves him with a poisonous dart, renewing their partnership.
Determined to find another way to destroy the arena, Haymitch convinces Maysilee to explore the perimeter. They encounter the Careers and a trio of Gamemakers, briefly uniting with the Careers to eliminate the Gamemakers before parting ways. They discover a power generator shielded by a force field at the arena's edge. As they split up, Maysilee is fatally attacked by mutt birds. Haymitch then seeks out the last remaining Newcomer, Wellie. After a short reunion, he leaves her alone and returns only to find her killed by District 1 tribute Silka. In a final confrontation near a cliff, Silka is inadvertently killed by her weapon bouncing off the force field. At the same time, a grievously injured Haymitch is rendered unconscious after attempting to detonate a final explosive against the force field.
Haymitch awakens in the Capitol and is forced to attend a series of public events, gradually realizing that the televised version of the Games has been heavily edited to erase signs of rebellion. Upon returning to District 12, he finds his home burned down, with his mother and brother dead. A reunion with Lenore in a quiet meadow turns tragic when she unknowingly consumes a poisoned candy—an act orchestrated by President Snow. Lenore dies in his arms after urging him to prevent another "sunrise on the reaping."
Haunted by loss, Haymitch retreats into isolation in the Victor's Village, distancing himself from former friends out of fear for their safety. However, during the Victor's Tour, Plutarch's encouragement spurs him to keep fighting. In the epilogue, set after the original series, Haymitch opens up to Katniss and Peeta about his past, finding solace in caring for gifted goose eggs in memory of Lenore Dove.
Sunrise on the Reaping had a hardcover release date of March 18, 2025. It was also published as an audiobook on the same day.
Sunrise on the Reaping sold over 1.5 million copies worldwide in its first week, marking the biggest debut for any title in Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games series. In the U.S. alone, the book sold 1.2 million copies, more than twice the opening sales of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and over three times that of Mockingjay.