Night Without Stars (novel)

Night Without Stars is a 2016 young adult science fiction novel by Lois Lowry. It is the fourth book in The Giver Quartet, following The Giver (1993), Gathering Blue (2000), and Messenger (2004). While set in the same world as the previous books, Night Without Stars focuses on new characters and a previously unexplored community: a society preparing for a future where they may or may not be selected to join the utopian community featured in The Giver.

The novel follows the intertwined narratives of two main characters, Kira and Matty, both of whom also appeared in Gathering Blue and Messenger, respectively. They live in Village, a community that offers refuge to people with diverse backgrounds and varying abilities. Night Without Stars explores themes of prejudice, societal control, individual agency, and the nature of utopia and dystopia. It delves into the fears and uncertainties of a population contemplating potential selection into a more seemingly perfect, yet potentially restrictive, society. The novel also examines the moral complexities of choosing between a known, imperfect world and an unknown, potentially ideal one. The narrative connects loosely to the events and characters of the previous books, providing further context to the larger world Lowry created. The novel offers resolution to certain plot threads running throughout the quartet and provides a more conclusive ending to the series.