The first 11 minutes of the Hunger Games prequel reveal a desperate Coriolanus Snow

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, the highly anticipated prequel book to The Hunger Games, hits shelves in less than a week, and readers are preparing themselves to return to the world of Panem, this time in the shoes of President Snow. Of course, we won’t be seeing the Coriolanus Snow we know from Suzanne Collins’ original trilogy. This new look at her world will showcase a much younger, more desperate Coriolanus as the novel’s protagonist.

And Entertainment Weekly has shared the first 11 minutes of the audiobook, teasing the beginnings of Snow’s journey, which seem as bleak as the first chapters of Katniss’ tale, only it’s a lot harder to feel sorry for his hardships. Narrated by Santino Fontana of Broadway’s Tootsie, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes opens with Snow reflecting on how impoverished his family is, despite being members of the Capitol. Have a listen:

It’s been suggested that rebel uprisings had something to do with the Snow family’s downfall, so it’ll be interesting to see what the resistance looked like before the Mockingjay arrived on the scene. Snow also mentions that he’s going to be a mentor in the Games, which, judging by the book’s synopsis, will be the central plot of the story.

While the first 11 minutes only set up the plot, the synopsis reveals that Snow will be mentoring someone from District 12 — an interesting twist, particularly for those who have already seen his uneasy relationship with Katniss Everdeen unfold. Sadly, we’ll have to wait until the book is released to get a taste of his relationship to his tribute, whoever they end up being, and to see whether Collins can actually make Snow a main character readers will care about. (We’ll be honest, we’re not sure the odds are in her favor there.)

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes arrives on May 19, and it’s already been greenlit for a film adaptation by Lionsgate. It’s hard to say from the first 11 minutes if Snow’s journey will be worth following, but it’ll certainly be interesting to see how Collins handles the political component of the book from the other side of the fence.

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