The Lore Behind the Hunger Games

Plus 11 more great reads inspired by Greek mythology

Sunrise on the Reaping, the new Hunger Games prequel tells the story of a young Haymitch Abernathy. As the day dawns on the fiftieth annual Hunger Games, fear grips the districts of Panem with the announcement that this year, in honor of the Quarter Quell, twice as many tributes will be taken from their homes. Back in District 12, Haymitch is trying not to think too hard about his chances. All he cares about is making it through the day and being with the girl he loves. We can't wait to dive into this new installment featuring one of our favorite characters from the original series.

In the meantime, we're exploring the Greek myths that inspired the series by Suzanne Collins and we've put together a roundup of eleven more books that draw on Greek mythology. Plus, we've included a list of the author's favorite titles growing up.

Inspirations for The Hunger Games

I was such a huge Greek mythology geek as a kid, it's impossible for it not to come into play in my storytelling. —Suzanne Collins

The Greek myth of Theseus served as a major basis for The Hunger Games, with Collins describing Katniss as a futuristic Theseus. Like Katniss, Theseus, the young prince of Athens, volunteers himself as a tribute in a lottery requiring seven boys and seven girls to be taken to Crete and thrown into a labyrinth as sacrifices to the Minotaur, a murderous creature with the head and tail of a bull and the body of a man. With the help of Ariadne, the daughter of King Minos, Theseus vanquishes the Minotaur, returning to Athens a hero.

When Collins was a little girl, she had a fascination with gladiator movies, especially Spartacus. Her father indulged this interest further by reading to her from Plutarch's Lives, which featured stories of Spartacus and others. As a teen, Collins recalls reading Mary Renault's The King Must Die, a retelling of the myth of Theseus in which the tributes are trained to perform with a wild bull for an audience of the elite of Crete. These formative experiences planted the seeds for The Hunger Games.

11 books inspired by Greek mythology

If you want more great reads based on classic lore, this roundup includes a mix of retellings, modern takes, and more, including YA and adult titles.

This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger
Drawing from Homer's The Odyssey, this big-hearted epic is set in the summer of 1932. Fleeing their cruel institutional school, four orphans journey into the unknown and cross paths with others who are adrift, from struggling farmers and traveling faith healers to displaced families and lost souls of all kinds.

Dear Medusa by Olivia Cole
This searing YA novel-in-verse follows a sixteen-year-old girl coping with sexual abuse and the ruthless judgment of the world around her as she grapples with how to reclaim her story, her anger, and her body. Like the mythical Medusa, Alicia has been cast, not as the victim, but the monster of her own story.

Troy by Stephen Fry
In the third installment of his bestselling Mythos series, the legendary author and actor retells the tale of the Trojan War with his trademark wit and vibrance. Illustrated throughout with classical art, this fresh take on an ancient tale invites you to explore a captivating world with a virtuoso storyteller as your guide.

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
At once an action-packed adventure and an epic love story, this debut novel offers a brilliant reimagining of Homer's masterwork, The Iliad. From the bestselling author of Circe, it's a thrilling, profoundly moving, and utterly unique retelling of the legend of Achilles and the Trojan War.

Autobiography of Red by Anne Carson
By turns whimsical and haunting, richly layered and deceptively simple, this coming-of-age novel draws from the myth of Geryon and the Tenth Labor of Herakles. Set in the present day, the story offers a profoundly moving portrait of an artist coming to terms with the fantastic accident of who he is.

Spin by Rebecca Caprara
Ostracized for her lack of distinction, Arachne learns to weave, finding her strength through the craft. But her unexpected talent leads to a confrontation with the goddess Athena. This sweeping novel-in-verse unravels the tales that frame Arachne as a villainess, delivering a timely story of long-awaited justice.

Clytemnestra by Costanza Casati
She was born to a king, but she married a tyrant. She stood helplessly by as he sacrificed her child to placate the gods. But over time, she becomes a woman with a choice. Like Circe by Madeline Miller, this is another novel that flips the script on one of the most notorious villainesses of the ancient world.

Lovely War by Julie Berry
A multi-layered YA romance set in the perilous days of World Wars I and II, where gods hold the fates of four mortals in their hands. From The Washington Post: "Pick an adjective—sweeping, sprawling, epic, Olympian—and yet none quite conveys the emotional width and depth of [this] brilliant novel."

Lore Olympus by Rachel Smythe
Persephone, young goddess of spring, is new to Olympus. When her roommate, Artemis, takes her to a party, she meets Hades and feels an immediate spark with the charming yet misunderstood ruler of the Underworld. This graphic novel puts a stylish, contemporary update on a much-loved ancient story.

Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward
This gritty but tender story draws inspiration from the myth of Medea. As Hurricane Katrina bears down on a small Mississippi town, fourteen-year-old Esch and her family struggle to prepare amidst the brutality of rural poverty. It's a big-hearted novel about familial love and community against all odds.

Lavinia by Ursula K. Le Guin
Fans of The Hunger Games will likely recall the character Lavinia, an avox who has had her tongue removed as a punitive measure. In The Aeneid, Vergil's hero fights to claim the king's daughter, Lavinia. Lavinia herself never speaks a word. This transporting novel from a literary legend gives her a voice.

10 of Suzanne Collins's favorite books

Here are ten titles that reflected the author's interests and shaped her point of view as a young reader.

• A Child's Book of Myths & Enchantment by Margaret Evans Price—This is one of the books that ignited Collins's lifelong interest in mythology.
• 1984 by George Orwell—Themes of totalitarianism and societal control in this dystopian classic resonate with the oppressive government depicted in The Hunger Games.
• A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle—Meg, the pragmatic heroine of this childhood favorite, could be viewed as a precursor to Katniss.
• A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith—Collins has said she loved this beloved novel featuring another YA female protagonist.
• Lord of the Flies by William Golding—In The Hunger Games, it's easy to see the echoes of this classic about a group of boys stranded on a desert island.
• Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut—Collins came from a long line of military service-members (including her dad) and she was fascinated with this WWII-era novel.
• Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury—This simple story centers on a young boy learning about the hidden magic of being alive.
• A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway—Collins has confessed that she may have read Hemingway's memoir one too many times.
• The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers—As in The Hunger Games, this novel features an ensemble cast of characters dealing with a variety of issues as they search for goodness and beauty in the world.
• We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson—This macabre little page-turner is seen as a seminal work of gothic horror. Collins loves it and we do too!

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Read more by Ashly Moore Sheldon