The Crucible of Time is a fix-up science fiction novel by John Brunner.

Parts 1 and 2 appeared in Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine as "The Fire is Lit" (Sep 1982) and "Fusing and Refusing" (Jan 1983).

The novel deals with the efforts of an alien species to escape their homeworld and integrate into a new society.

In the novel, the plot beings with the system passing through a cloud of interstellar debris, resulting in a high rate of in-falling matter.

The book starts with the tale's beginning and then shifts toward the structure of the imagery surrounding the suns, moons, and comets.