The Crucible of Time



The Crucible of Time is a Science Fiction novel by John Brunner published in 1983.

The story depicts the rise of a civilization of Starfish Aliens from a primitive to a space-faring level. Living on a planet in an unstable galactic region, the aliens are regularly plagued by cosmic phenomena that lay waste to their civilization and, each time, force them to start over. The narrative focuses on their attempt, over the course of several centuries, to escape that curse by developing a scientific method and eventually expanding into space.

Contains examples of:

 * Bizarre Alien Biology: The story being told from their own perspective, the aliens' physiology isn't precisely described, but the reader gathers that they are a species of intelligent fungoids.
 * How We Got Here: The prologue takes place once a space-faring level has been achieved, and from there the story jumps back to the early stages of the aliens' civilization.
 * Organic Technology: The aliens' technology is based on bio-engineering; their machines aren't so much made as grown.
 * Starfish Aliens
 * Xenofiction: One of the best examples.