the hunger games | Lost in a Good Book

The Ballard of Songbirds and Snakes (#0) by Suzanne Collins

Published: 19 May 2020 (print)/19 May 2020 (audio)
Publisher: Scholastic Press/Scholastic Audio
Pages: 528/16 hrs and 16 mins
Narrator: Santino Fontana
Format: Audiobook
Genre: Young Adult
★ ★ ★ ★ – 4.5 Stars

Ambition will fuel him.

Competition will drive him.

But power has its price.

It is the morning of the reaping that will kick off the tenth annual Hunger Games. In the Capitol, eighteen-year-old Coriolanus Snow is preparing for his one shot at glory as a mentor in the Games. The once-mighty house of Snow has fallen on hard times, its fate hanging on the slender chance that Coriolanus will be able to outcharm, outwit, and outmaneuver his fellow students to mentor the winning tribute.

The odds are against him. He’s been given the humiliating assignment of mentoring the female tribute from District 12, the lowest of the low. Their fates are now completely intertwined — every choice Coriolanus makes could lead to favor or failure, triumph or ruin. Inside the arena, it will be a fight to the death. Outside the arena, Coriolanus starts to feel for his doomed tribute… and must weigh his need to follow the rules against his desire to survive no matter what it takes.

I loved seeing the Hunger Games from the outside perspective, especially these early days before the main arena, the cameras everywhere, and the full control of the game makers to make sure there was always action for the audience.

Fighting to get the capital to care about the games ten years in is a great look at how these early years started what we know the Hunger Games to be. It could have all faded away. It could easily have been a short lived endeavour but the hate of those in power felt orchestrated something that continues for another 65 years.

Mentors, tributes, rewards, interviews are all in their infancy and having the games play out from an outside perspective instead of the players is interesting, especially in terms of emotional attachment. We aren’t there to feel the fear of the tributes, of their actions against one another or how the game makers influence things from omnipotent and mysterious places. We have no internal thoughts of tributes, only the apathetic, coerced, and invested mentors. There is only what is shown on screen and what Snow is privy to which adds a different kind of tension and uncertainty.

I love that there is no future books, only to fill in history we already know about. While it can be argued we didn’t need to have these prequels, there is something powerful in showing how something like the Hunger Games started. What political and social situations come from those in power having control and hate towards those around them.

There are references to the future and what we know from other characters. And while it can be a pointed reference for the readers I think it goes a way to explain why Snow acts the way he does towards people in the original as well. His own history getting in the way and mocking him even before he knows why.

Collins is wonderful because you never get to sympathise with Snow like you’d think with a prequel. There are times when you have moments thinking he is a poor and suffering but then it’s like Collins instinctively knows your thoughts and descends from on high and says stop that by showing Snow to be just as much as a horrible person as you think and know him to be.

It’s easy to see how Snow becomes who he becomes, even 65 years later. He is already a bad person, but you can see him becoming vindictive and controlling. How he thinks he’s betrayed and how that shapes his actions then and in the future. He is entitled, thinks he is owed things, and as the book goes on you see how possessive he is. Everything we know him to be.

I love how Collins dropped The Hunger Games and disappeared only to re-emerge ten years later and drop another banger on us. This prequel doesn’t take anything from the power of the original trilogy and only makes it more impactful – a benefit I think from having the large gap between years. I am so keyed up to read Sunrise on the Reaping I know she is going to have done another amazing job.

You can purchase The Ballard of Songbirds and Snakes via the following

QBD | Dymocks | Booktopia

Wordery | Blackwell’s | Angus & Robertson

Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust | Audible

Best Book-to-Movie Adaptations

There is a fine line between a good book adaptation and a poor one. The smallest thing can tip the scales: changing the ending, removing a character, inventing a character, or changing the character roles which alter their onscreen personality (looking at your Ron Weasley, you deserved better).

Booklovers crave and desire to see their favourite books come to the big screen, but at the same time there is a deep trepidation that there will be a great injustice and disservice to the characters and the overall story. I could write page after page of bad book to film adaptations and while that is tempting, it is negative and a bit mean so instead I want to focus on the few I have found which were truly wonderful movies that stay true to the original story.

If a book becomes a movie and I see a runtime of 2.5 hours I have a good feeling because so often it means a great adaptation with a lot true to the book. Not always the case, there will always be exceptions, but it gives me hope.

The Lord of The Rings Series (Extended editions) – Anyone who is out there thinking that 3 hours is enough time to swoon over Aragorn and his wonderful hair is greatly mistaken. I sat through the extended editions of all three films because if I was going to watch them I was going to do it right. No doubt unimportant plot points were included in those extra 30 minutes but it was a great representation of the books. All the little moments and extended scenes, the minor things that became big. The only issue is Merry and Pippin don’t get the serious portrayal they deserve, there’s cheeky but then there’s foolish which Jackson did a bit too much.

The Martian – I was curious how the greatest book of all time was going to be portrayed in film but I had nothing to worry about. There is so much to love about this movie and every minute was a delight. The only downside is the best part of the book was not included re: Aquaman and whales. Other than that, it was a marvellous film from start to finish and felt like a true depiction of the book, minor addition to the end aside.

Gone Girl – For all the hate I had for the book, the movie is actually an accurate representation of the story. I was curious how they would show the flashbacks and the ‘diary’ component but David Fincher has done a great job. It might have been a better movie to see without reading the book because I didn’t hate Nick quite as much in the movie.

Paper Towns – This one I was surprised by my own reaction to. There are changes to the story, a few character moments tweaked and swapped, but the overall theme and feeling of the book has been translated to the screen really well. It felt the same as the book, even though there were a few changes it didn’t matter. It stayed true to the message even with the required movie changes and I was impressed.

The Hunger Games – One of the best adaptations I have seen of a book. It had everything that made the books amazing and it felt as strong and powerful watching it as when I was reading it. I felt the books were playing out in front of me and I loved every minute of it.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone – I remember this being the first movie adaptation of a book I’d really paid attention to. I have a vivid memory as it began thinking it was word for word of the book and I loved everything about it. Sure Peeves is missing, but there’s so much else true to that first book that brought that magical experience to life.

Honourable mentions

The Book Thief – I missed a few of the nuances and scenes from the book but it was still an emotional kick in the guts. Not quite as powerful as the book, but still excellent nonetheless.

The Princess Bride – I actually fell in love with the movie before I read the book many years later and I was surprised at their similarities. It’s not an unlikeable movie, quite wonderful in fact, but there are a few changes but the spirit remains and what was left in was delightful.

I also hated Girl on the Train, and was yes, was surprised I hated the movie as well. Funny that…

These are only the adaptations I have seen, if there are some excellent movie adaptations out there of books please let me know so I can check them out.