Fiction. Science Fiction. TIME IS THE FIRE recounts a day in the existence of Leopold Bloom O'Boyle, chronophobe, travel writer, would-be novelist, and husband ofthe Reverend Annabel Chance. The day is September 8, 1992, and the place is Harvard Square and environs. Like his namesake, Leo dips into and out of a stream of consciousness as he considers and reconsiders the most important decision of his life. In his quest for an answer, he struggles with his fear of time, a fear inextricably meshed with the fateful choice he and Annabel must make. Along the way, he encounters characters real and imaginary, including the shade of his late father; his friend Alf; the temptress Silvia; and the poet Stratis Haviaras. He argues with Philip Larkin and harkens to the words of James Joyce and Seamus Heaney, words that suffuse his heart and mind. He works feverishly to finish a draft of his languishing novel, the protagonist of which, like himself, is trapped in the riddle of time.