Book Review: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins is a prequel to the hugely popular Hunger Games series. The book has also recently been adapted into a film. Set before the 10^th annual Hunger Games the story follows an 18-year-old Coriolanus Snow who is the tyrannical president of Panem in the original series.

The Snow family fell on hard times during the civil war between the Capitol and the Districts which makes Coriolanus determined to bring the family name back to its former glory after the war. A new addition to the 10^th Hunger Games is that each tribute from the Districts is assigned a mentor - a student from the Capitol Academy. Coriolanus is assigned to Lucy Gray Baird, the female tribute from District 12. As a relationship begins to blossom between Lucy Gray and Coriolanus, we can see the internal struggle that Coriolanus starts to have with the existence of the Hunger Games – the Capitol’s yearly form of punishment on the Districts for their rebellion and subsequent war. I think this struggle is articulated more in the book than the film, as it almost makes the reader find redeeming qualities in Coriolanus and question how he could have become so evil in the years between the events of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and the first Hunger Games book.

Another relationship that plays a central role in the book is between Coriolanus and Sejanus Plinth. Originally from District 2, Sejanus and his family moved to the Capitol after becoming wealthy during the war making weapons. Sejanus is completely against the Hunger Games and everything they stand for, and throughout the book continuously ‘rebels’ to help the tributes and those in the Districts. Though Coriolanus often finds himself agreeing with Sejanus’s views, he makes sure to distance himself in public and ultimately betrays him out of his loyalty to the Capitol and their control over Panem.

I found the development of these key relationships didn’t quite translate in the film version. Obviously, parts of books will always be cut to fit it in to a condensed film adaptation. But I found the quicker story pacing in the film made it hard to connect with the characters and believe in their relationships without it feeling rushed. Poignant moments in the book didn’t quite have the same emotional impact on me in the film. On a positive note, I thought the film was well cast and I enjoyed seeing main set pieces like the Academy, the arena and Dr Gaul’s lab brought to life.

Overall, both the book and the film provide an interesting insight into the early life of one of The Hunger Games cruelest characters. Even though there were opportunities for goodness, Coriolanus ultimately chooses a need for power and a loyalty to the Capitol over that of his friends. As a reader/viewer we can’t be too disappointed, after all we know exactly the kind of man he is in his old age!    

 Posted by CC

28 December 2023

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