Science Fiction

Contact

Contact

  • Downloads：3939
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-06-11 09:55:52
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Carl Sagan
  • ISBN：1501197983
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Summary

The Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Cosmos and renowned astronomer Carl Sagan’s international bestseller about the discovery of an advanced civilization in the depths of space remains the “greatest adventure of all time” （Associated Press）。

The future is here…in an adventure of cosmic dimension。 When a signal is discovered that seems to come from far beyond our solar system， a multinational team of scientists decides to find the source。 What follows is an eye-opening journey out to the stars to the most awesome encounter in human history。 Who—or what—is out there？ Why are they watching us？ And what do they want with us？

One of the best science fiction novels about communication with extraterrestrial intelligent beings， Contact is a “stunning and satisfying” （Los Angeles Times） classic。

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Reviews

Aleksei ，

A really fun read。 I loved the non-fiction aspects of it， and it succeeded in making me feel both existential dread at some points and compassion for life at others。

Aaron ，

I wish the whole book was the same quality as the last quarter。 Once things picked up it got much better but it took forever to get there。 This would have been much better as a novella。（view spoiler）[And I know it helped cause tension in the book， but the aliens were just being dicks by not allowing the Five and sort of proof from their travel。 （hide spoiler）]I know it came out many years later， but in my opinion Factoring Humanity by Robert J。 Sawyer did the signal from space much better。 I wish the whole book was the same quality as the last quarter。 Once things picked up it got much better but it took forever to get there。 This would have been much better as a novella。（view spoiler）[And I know it helped cause tension in the book， but the aliens were just being dicks by not allowing the Five and sort of proof from their travel。 （hide spoiler）]I know it came out many years later， but in my opinion Factoring Humanity by Robert J。 Sawyer did the signal from space much better。 。。。more

John ，

Contact was about of course human contact with an alien civilization。 However， it also touched on many different aspects of society at the time it was written until the present time in 2021。 One aspect that was encountered in the book was how women aren’t treated the same as men。 Two aspects of this was based on the President of the United States in Carl Sagan’s book was female。 Another reference was that main character， Ellie Arroway， was described as the first female in her college studies in Contact was about of course human contact with an alien civilization。 However， it also touched on many different aspects of society at the time it was written until the present time in 2021。 One aspect that was encountered in the book was how women aren’t treated the same as men。 Two aspects of this was based on the President of the United States in Carl Sagan’s book was female。 Another reference was that main character， Ellie Arroway， was described as the first female in her college studies in her field of study and the first in radio astronomy working for the SETI program。 The book also hits on planetary， star and galaxy formation going into deeper level of science but stays very high level。 It contemplates why the star， Vega， would not be suitable for life。 The signal coming from Vega is uniquely wrapped up into the television signals that have been emitted from earth and what we as a planet are signaling out into other worlds who we are。 It is the 1936 Olympic games that have been transmitted out to the universe and Adolph Hitler that was our earliest transmutation。 It contemplates based on what other civilizations receive from us how they would depict who we are as a race of humans。 It also ventures into what finding alien life forms would mean to religion and how religion would react to the possibility of humanity not being the center of the universe and the sole creation of an omnipotence god。 It looks at how the people that made contact might have an agenda to deceive and how governments might want to hide the evidence of the existence of other life forms。 Overall although in places the book was really good and other places slow and not so fluid a read， it was a decent book and worth reading。 。。。more

Someone That Reads ，

Doesn't probably need to be said， but "so much better than the movie。" I love how Sagan can both write a good book， with developed characters， and still manage to educate all at once。 Doesn't probably need to be said， but "so much better than the movie。" I love how Sagan can both write a good book， with developed characters， and still manage to educate all at once。 。。。more

Virginia Shine ，

If you love science you will love this book！One of my favorite movies， reading this book was a more expansive experience。 Definitely a more worldly deep dive into what realistically would happen politically if intelligence was detected in a signal from the stars。 If you love science you will appreciate this book。

Irene ，

I've read a few reviews complaining about the writing in this book being too dry; I found it overly sentimental， especially towards the end。 Still a great first contact story， that takes into account the nature of governments and people with strong religious convictions， as well as some interesting sci-fi concepts。 I've read a few reviews complaining about the writing in this book being too dry; I found it overly sentimental， especially towards the end。 Still a great first contact story， that takes into account the nature of governments and people with strong religious convictions， as well as some interesting sci-fi concepts。 。。。more

R。J。 Southworth ，

I wanted to like this book more than I did， having enjoyed both the film based upon it， and Carl Sagan's non-fiction。 Unfortunately， while there are moments of beauty - particularly when painting pictures of the cosmos and having philosophical discussions - a lot of the content is poorly paced and feels very dry， with some scenes that should have some drama making little effort to instil an emotional response in the reader。 Apparently the concept started out as a screenplay - and ultimately， it I wanted to like this book more than I did， having enjoyed both the film based upon it， and Carl Sagan's non-fiction。 Unfortunately， while there are moments of beauty - particularly when painting pictures of the cosmos and having philosophical discussions - a lot of the content is poorly paced and feels very dry， with some scenes that should have some drama making little effort to instil an emotional response in the reader。 Apparently the concept started out as a screenplay - and ultimately， it works a lot better as a film。 。。。more

Ed ，

Let me get the negative out of the way first: the writing in this novel is almost shockingly bad。 The prose is dry and tedious， the characters by and large are unsympathetically presented and feel distinctly stilted， and large amounts of the dialogue is just one character explaining something to another。But the ideas in here; the sheer imagination and extensions of our current understandings， the thoughtful commentary on the natures of belief， are stunning。 Absolutely mindblowing， for at least t Let me get the negative out of the way first: the writing in this novel is almost shockingly bad。 The prose is dry and tedious， the characters by and large are unsympathetically presented and feel distinctly stilted， and large amounts of the dialogue is just one character explaining something to another。But the ideas in here; the sheer imagination and extensions of our current understandings， the thoughtful commentary on the natures of belief， are stunning。 Absolutely mindblowing， for at least the second half of the book my brain was in a fairly constant state of continuous wonder。 And that this should shine through despite the dull writing is an amazing achievement。 I think it mostly a reflection of the fact that Sagan was a scientist first， a brilliant thinker， and a writer a distant last。The plot is essentially what it says on the tin; a story of first contact。 The large radio telescope arrays dedicated to SETI （or the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence） begin to pick up a signal from nearby Vega。 A signal too regular to be a natural phenomenon， too specific to be accidental。 There follows a global effort to decode this message， which comes with no small amount of shocks。 It soon becomes clear that the Message （as it is soon capitalised） contains instructions to build a machine of unknown purpose， with specifications far beyond the capabilities of modern scientists and engineers。Sagan is careful to explore the possible ramifications of such revelations; how would various communities respond to the news of genuine alien life （as the signal really couldn't have come from anything else）？ What would this mean to different religions， to scientists and to politicians？ There is so much interesting discussion on these various topics， but I can't help but feel like it might have been better served in a speculative non-fiction book。 That it is wrapped up in a narrative here doesn't seem to help it too much， nor does it really bolster the narrative in flattering ways。 Regardless， it is still fascinating to see it all explored。The main theme throughout is the nature of belief and faith- the drive to understand the universe and explore the unknown， and how that expresses itself in different ways in different people。 Whilst initially feeling quite dismissive of religion in general， it ultimately is extremely optimistic about faith and forces the reader to open their mind to other ways of thinking。While I'm unable to give this a perfect 5* as it really does start off slow and shoddy， I'd still wholeheartedly recommend it as the ending makes is nothing short of revelatory; it becomes touching and profound and even manages to have some good character moments even if those had been missing for the entire rest of the book。 。。。more

Carlos Jose Ferin ，

I really liked the reading。 Usually I take longer to read a book， but this one kept me focused and inspired。

Andreas Presthammer ，

This was a really enjoyable read。 Watching the movie before reading the book really didn't detract any from the book experience。 This was a really enjoyable read。 Watching the movie before reading the book really didn't detract any from the book experience。 。。。more

Tomás Rueda ，

Con este libro me pasa algo extraño， estaba en deuda conmigo mismo desde hace muchos años por no haberlo leído， pero si vi la película cuando salió。 Ahora que por fin lo he terminado， no sé si me gusta tanto como me gustó la película en su momento， es un libro que puede ser difícil， por su información científica （aunque estoy seguro de que Sagan pudo hacerlo mucho más complejo）， pero es precisamente eso lo que más me llama la atención de esta obra。Otra cosa que me encantó fueron las discusiones Con este libro me pasa algo extraño， estaba en deuda conmigo mismo desde hace muchos años por no haberlo leído， pero si vi la película cuando salió。 Ahora que por fin lo he terminado， no sé si me gusta tanto como me gustó la película en su momento， es un libro que puede ser difícil， por su información científica （aunque estoy seguro de que Sagan pudo hacerlo mucho más complejo）， pero es precisamente eso lo que más me llama la atención de esta obra。Otra cosa que me encantó fueron las discusiones filósoficas y teológicas planteadas por el autor， siento que se plantean de una forma muy elemental muchas de esas contradicciones inherentes tanto a las religiones como al método científico。 。。。more

Ahmed Hesham ，

I have read many books for carl sagan and they always left me amazed and wondering， but never had the chance to try his novel literature and I was not disappointed。 Contact will take you in an amazing adventure that will change your understanding of how would advance civilizations could communicate with us if they ever existed

Michelle ，

Carl Sagan truly has a way with words。 This is a slow burn book， but it is really rich and full of exposition and deep thought。 This book thinks about everything from radio waves to the Quin dynasty， and it's obvious that Sagan had a lot of social commentary in mind。 The message for society is resounding and found in nearly every chapter。 Initially， I was put off by the chunks of text， which are many and lengthy， but when I read it， I truly loved it。 Carl Sagan truly has a way with words。 This is a slow burn book， but it is really rich and full of exposition and deep thought。 This book thinks about everything from radio waves to the Quin dynasty， and it's obvious that Sagan had a lot of social commentary in mind。 The message for society is resounding and found in nearly every chapter。 Initially， I was put off by the chunks of text， which are many and lengthy， but when I read it， I truly loved it。 。。。more

Suraj ，

best 1st contact story writter。 Movie isn't half bad either :） best 1st contact story writter。 Movie isn't half bad either :） 。。。more

Kyle Petitt ，

Great book with a very interesting take on the the coexistence of theology and science。 Would recommend to anyone interested in sci-fi or the relationship of modern religion and science

Madi Praf ，

Such a blast！

Rosy Roo ，

Enjoyed the story - hated all the religion， though I suppose that was the point。

Joaquin Ramas ，

Existential crisis vibes but I liked how it was an alien book that isn’t crazy and tries to be as realistic as possible

Bridget B。 ，

Un inicio un poco lento pero al final te deja reflexionando。 Eterno debate entre Religión vs Ciencia。 El personaje de Ellie Arroway me parece bien construido y humano y la historia en general te atrapa， me perdía por ratos con el lenguaje técnico pero logras familiarizarte con él。

Fabian Castro ，

It's actually a 4。5， thought it was brilliant， as an atheist I liked that it wasn't too 'preaching to atheists' and actually involved a couple of good points regarding the debate of faith。 Carl Sagan just knows how to inspire and make someone feel insignificant yet powerful at the same time It's actually a 4。5， thought it was brilliant， as an atheist I liked that it wasn't too 'preaching to atheists' and actually involved a couple of good points regarding the debate of faith。 Carl Sagan just knows how to inspire and make someone feel insignificant yet powerful at the same time 。。。more

Ernesto López ，

"La ciencia como el sueño de los herejes trasciende el tiempo"。Un contraste entre mi yo creyente y mi yo escéptico。 Eso es lo que este libro logró hacer。 Hacer tambalear mis creencias。 - No es fácil tener fe， me dijo la persona que se ha tomado la molestia de enseñarme La Biblia。 - A mi me lo dice， le respondí。 Sagan teje una historia interesante， y hace lo que sabe hacer: "Divulgar la ciencia"， de forma fácil y sencilla。 La última parte es intrigante: La verdad está en las matemáticas。 Alguna v "La ciencia como el sueño de los herejes trasciende el tiempo"。Un contraste entre mi yo creyente y mi yo escéptico。 Eso es lo que este libro logró hacer。 Hacer tambalear mis creencias。 - No es fácil tener fe， me dijo la persona que se ha tomado la molestia de enseñarme La Biblia。 - A mi me lo dice， le respondí。 Sagan teje una historia interesante， y hace lo que sabe hacer: "Divulgar la ciencia"， de forma fácil y sencilla。 La última parte es intrigante: La verdad está en las matemáticas。 Alguna vez lei: Las matemáticas nos acercan a Dios。 Es lo fascinante， saber que nos podemos acercar a Él。 。。。more

Rob Beck ，

I sometimes think I’m too dim to read books！ I’m left feeling like I missed something important。 I’m probably going to have to read it again， and hopefully my rating will improve because I liked Carl Sagan as a teacher/presenter and really liked the film of this book， but from a story telling perspective it was all a bit， well， tellish （although if anyone has earned the right to ‘tell us stuff’ it’s probably Mr Sagan ;） ）

Ed Rosenberg ，

Worth itSometimes we hate a movie for a book， other times the opposite。 Here， just enjoy both。 They are worth it。

Melissa ，

That ending。。。 genius。

Teresa ，

One of those rare instances when the movie was better than the book！

Stephan Rasp ，

Started out so promisingly， scientifically plausible but then got ever more ridiculous and unbelievable。 This seems to be the fate of most sci-fi。

Brett ，

4。5

Alexandr Novikov ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Книга о том， как героиня потратила всю свою жизнь на то что бы наладить контакт с чужими， незнакомыми и далёкими ей существами， но при этом так и не наладила контакт с теми кто был рядом， был очень близок с ней и любил ее。 Помните тех кто вас любит， пока они живы。

Manish ，

Really enjoyed listening to this audiobook。 It was really good to see a strong female character， and I really enjoyed the analysis of how humanity would react， the various points of view etc。 These were more enjoyable than the plot Itself， like a good hard sci fi should be。 Having said that， the plot was also very good ！ One for the ages

Harkeerat Dhunda ，

My comfort book。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Contact

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Contact&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Contact&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0