The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes" is a dystopian action-adventure novel by American author Suzanne Collins.
Serving as a prequel to the original "The Hunger Games" trilogy, it is set 64 years prior to the events of the first book.
Published by Scholastic on May 19, 2020, the novel was simultaneously released as an audiobook narrated by Santino Fontana.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, its launch was held virtually.
Lionsgate released a film adaptation, "The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes," on November 17, 2023.