The Crucible of Time

I read this novel shortly after it was published and to this day it remains one of the most memorable SF stories I've ever read. It's also one of those books that I appreciate more each time I return to it, not because the book changes, but because I have learned more and so am in a better position to appreciate some of the incredibly smart things Brunner does in this novel. The story is told from the perspective of a world of intelligent aliens as they reach out to discover the universe in which they live. They have to do that in ways that are very different from our own history in details (for example, they live under water where access to the night sky is limited, which puts a crimp in early astronomy), but very similar in the abstract. The similarities arise for the simple reason that the universe in which they live is THE universe. The message here is deep and subtle and important: reality is what it is, and no matter what kind of body you have, no matter what specific environmental niche you occupy, if you are smart enough to wonder about the world you live in, and clever enough to discover ways to ask your questions well, you will discover the same immutable facts about the nature of things. Brunner shows this without ever giving a lecture or explicitly making the point. In my opinion it's a story telling tour de force that really puts the science solidly in the center of science fiction.

This is easily one of my favorite scifi novels of all time. The vast time period that this story spans and the wonderful love of discovery that takes place by the loveable creatures on this planet is awe inspiring. I loved the descriptions of the creatures, their wonderlust, the amazing descriptions of the different time periods, the excellent descriptions of the cultures, the seafaring people, the ones who lived on the land, etc. The amount of background work that Mr. Brunner had to do to flesh out these creatures, the cultures, etc in this story is nothing less than stunning. What a great thing to do to make the story sound so believeable - albeit with creatures that are vastly different than us. I really can't say enough about the marvelous feelings this story invoked in me about the danger of religion, the importance of spreading knowledge, and the delight I felt about the long periods of time between the major sections of the story as their civilization progressed. Thank you, Mr Brunner for this story. Altho it was written 25 years ago and I missed it for that entire quarter century, at least I finally found his awesome tale! My only regret is that Mr. Brunner passed on over a decade ago and I can't contact him to tell him directly.

from the back cover of the of the Del Rey July 1984 paperback edition Cover art by Don Dixon Life had become too interesting on one world crawling across the rubble-strewn arm of a spiral galaxy, for as the system moved it swept up cosmic dust and debris. Ice ages and periods of tropical warmth followed one another very quickly. Meteors large and small fell constantly. Yesterday's fabled culture might be tomorrow's interesting hole in the ground. But society had always endured. Many thought it always would. Only the brightest scientists admitted that to survive, the race would have to abandon the planet. And to do that they'd have to invent spacecraft...

I've immensely enjoyed the Brunner books I've read, especially this one. This novel has some great ideas for technology based on biophysics (using plants for pumps, long distance communication, etc.). Don't let "biophysics" scare you, though; you don't have to be a scientist to appreciate this novel. There is another interesting set of ideas about the implications for life on a planet moving through a very crowded (with stars and such) part of the galaxy.

On another world very much like ours, people deal with various problems in several distinct ages. The characters are genuinely likeable and even heroic. You kind of forget they're bugs, mostly. There is almost a renaissance flavor to one of the periods. Well crafted in the true spirit of a great story. One of my all time favorites.