NEW YORK - The Hunger Games book series served as a generation's first foray into the young adult genre and dystopian fiction. Even a decade after its conclusion, readers are still hungry for more.

Launched virtually on May 19, American writer Suzanne Collins' The Ballad Of Songbirds And Snakes has already sold more than 500,000 copies in its first week, USA Today reported.

This comes at a time when bookstores are closed or offering limited service due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The first-week sales include print copies, e-books and audiobooks, according to Collins' publisher Scholastic.

The novel is a prequel to the trilogy - The Hunger Games (2008), Catching Fire (2009) and Mockingjay (2010) - which were adapted into films (2012 to 2015) starring Jennifer Lawrence. It follows 18-year-old Coriolanus Snow - the future tyrannical president of the post-apocalyptic nation of Panem - who must succeed in his mentorship of a tribute in order to restore his family's glory.

The Ballad Of Songbirds And Snakes has out-performed Mockingjay in first-week sales. The latter sold 450,000 copies in its first week.