“Well, as they said, it's not over until the mockingjay sings.”
The end is never as it seems. While it applies quite literally to The Hunger Games trilogy, it's a maxim that has proved its truth in reality too. History is nothing but a series of imminent deaths...post the two World Wars, after the Partition, beyond the horrors of torture, cruelty and prejudice, life as we know it, has still continued to exist. The Mockingjay is a symbol of hope, of rebellion..against tyrants, misery, life and destiny. It's the knowledge that hope is man's last resort, his last weapon defending peace. As long as there's hope, there's life and as long as there's life, there's the possibility of change. Hush now, hear the mockingjay sing...
“The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” is a prequel to the dystopian trilogy ‘The Hunger Games’ by Suzanne Collins, giving readers a glimpse into the life of the trilogy’s primary antagonist, Corolianus Snow. Set against the backdrop of the 10th Hunger Games, this villain origin story is like no other, as the character in focus portrays the struggle between individual sentiments and the prevailing understanding of power and control within society.
While the original trilogy didn’t always provide contemplative moments for the larger themes it dealt with, this prequel is a lot more philosophical and detailed. Snow’s interactions with the head game-maker, Dr. Gaul, reflects the deep seated philosophy that runs behind the creation of dictatorships and totalitarian governments functioning under the guise of limited democracy. While it may seem like a probable justification for the creation of the Hunger Games as an event, it is in fact proof of Snow’s inherent need to always “land on top”, be it in terms of the game, or in Panem’s power hierarchy.
While Collins’ writing is usually phenomenal, the start of this book felt rocky. In a way her writing style seemed forced and while she did get into the groove of things as the novel progressed, it was definitely not as good as the original trilogy that so many, including us, love. Furthermore, certain aspects of “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” felt contrived. While novels usually allow the reader room for imagination, this book managed to fill in several of the blanks left over from the original series, but not in the way one would imagine. While it calls back to several points from “The Hunger Games”, none of these plot points add to building up the world of the Capitol and Panem. The original trilogy used a first person narrative, and readers experienced the plot alongside Katniss, which is why certain aspects of world-building were unclear since the protagonist didn’t receive that information. With this book, Collins had the opportunity to explore Panem, its rise in glamour and dehumanization, but failed to do so. As evident from the synopsis of the book, it was just about Snow. While this direction could still be well-executed, certain parts of Snow’s life and experiences seemed unnecessary and irrelevant. True, the idea that he was always a power hungry snake is definitely intriguing and delving into his psyche gives a clear idea of his reasoning for his beliefs, there was just too much of it. This extended exploration of Snow’s character, with the same few salient features makes the book tedious, and Snow turns into an almost annoying caricature, drowning in self-pity. Very rarely do we catch a glimpse of the Snow who taunted the Mockingjay in the original trilogy, but when we do see him, it's a treat to behold. We only really recognise Snow as the twisted, complex character we knew from “The Hunger Games” in the last pages of the book, which leads us to believe that rather than a conflicted, young Snow, we would have loved to explore the Machiavellian politician he eventually becomes; how he rose to power within Capitol ranks, his contribution to the development of the Hunger Games and how he held control over the Districts right up until he met Katniss Everdeen.
The actual Hunger Games in the book seems anti-climatic and underwhelming. This is a stark contrast to the original series, where readers could count on the books to pick up the pace as soon as the Games began. There are also glaring loopholes in the story arc; for instance, if this was the first time people could sponsor tributes, then how did they have so much money, especially when the Capitol was rebuilding itself, and admittedly didn’t have much to spare. The Games seemed less of a major plot point and more of a prop used to further the philosophical exposition running through the prequel, particularly through some of the morally upright characters. While it was definitely interesting to know about the origin of the Hunger Games, and how it was immediately after the darkest times faced by the people, it was more of an overly-detailed history lesson.
The idea of the self-serving Snow falling in love with Lucy and being at least a smidgen selfless, seems unnatural and hence the romantic story-line also seemed off putting. It seemed forced and one dimensional that made Collins' writing seem hollow. As a separate entity, Lucy shines as an independent and strong willed girl with definite resemblance to Katniss, but without the pessimism. In favour of Collins, however, it was quite interesting to read about Lucy from the romanticised perspective adopted by Snow, making it very clear that Snow’s possessiveness and feelings towards Lucy were deeply problematic.
All of the characters are tied together as they play their parts in the exposition of the ‘Nature vs. Nurture’ debate, perhaps explicitly seen in the character of Sejanus. Every page of the novel screams this idea of the world shaping a person into what they eventually become, guiding one’s beliefs and actions. Since Snow is the only one whose future is known, the novel does seem like a possible excuse for him being a victim of the society and world around him, implying that if he had slightly different circumstances, he would have gone down a different part. This falls flat due to the sheer conviction with which Snow is portrayed as a villain in the original trilogy, and of course because it is creepy.
The pace of the novel is its biggest downfall. While it starts off slow, it soon picks up pace, before returning to its original glacial pace. Certain portions are downright boring and a task to get through. In the last third of the book, however, the book speeds up, becoming such an action-packed explosion that it could give readers whiplash. This is perhaps the part of the book that truly got us hooked, and left us wanting more.
This book takes its time, Collins’ writing is top notch but in the end, it simply leaves us indifferent. Did “The Hunger Games” necessarily need a prequel, particularly following Snow? Not really. But unlike the usual unwanted, disappointing prequels, “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” didn’t leave us disappointed in its failed execution. It was great to return to the world of Panem, exploring the world that sucked us in with the original series, but it didn’t exactly make an impact that would ruin or exalt the series for us.With this book, do we hope that the mockingjay has sung? We really hope it has.