The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is a prequel novel by Suzanne Collins, released earlier this year, to her wildly popular The Hunger Games series. It focuses on the life of that series' chief antagonist, Panem president Coriolanus Snow, who duels with heroine Katniss Everdeen throughout the three novels. I read these books earlier and was greatly impressed by Collins' writing...the adaptation to film with Jennifer Lawrence playing Katniss and Donald Sutherland as President Snow was excellent, perfectly cast and expertly directed. So much so, it would seem, that while reading this prequel novel I was continually finding myself picturing Snow as a young Sutherland when he appeared as surgeon Hawkeye Pierce in the original 1970 M.A.S.H. movie. As prequels go, one must have a special motivation to read them (or watch them, as was the case with the three Stars Wars prequel movies) since you pretty much know how they're going to end: with the beginning of the "first" book (or movie). Having attached myself to the characters and Collins' writing style, it was easy for me to take the plunge...
Reading prequels is similar to rereading a novel in that you pretty much know how it's going to end and which characters will make it that far. Also, certain themes prevalent in the series are more deeply examined in prequels, for example Snow's fascination with roses, the origin of the mockingjay, and how the Games began following the Rebellion. Following young Coriolanus Snow as he makes his life choices along the way, some demonstrating his courage and intelligence and others his ambition and treacherous self-centeredness, it's easy to see developing within him the later ruthless, cunning President Snow of the Hunger Games books and movies. Still, I didn't like it nearly as much as the original three novels...if you're a completist and a big Hunger Games fan, you probably will enjoy it more than I did...for that matter, I never did go that much for any of the extra Harry Potter spinoffs, either...
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