cowdisease125's review against another edition
4.0
I am not mathematically or scientifically minded. Maths in particular makes me feel sick. The numbers sort of blend together and I can't process what I'm seeing. I mean, beyond simple calculations I am useless.
So I thought I'd struggle with this book. And I did. But I tell you what? The story and the characters more than made me want to power through the confusion and the nausea the mathematic and scientific explanations - of which there are a few - gave me. And it was so worth it.
This is very much a science fiction story but it's also an exploration of science and theology and, perhaps most importantly, what it is to be human. At least to me.
It was a superb story and well-written. The only thing that stopped me from giving it a fifth star was a comment toward the end of the book about people with disabilities or 'slightly malformed beings'. Even within the context I found it to be random and ignorant and, as a slightly malformed being myself, I found it hard not to take personally.
So I thought I'd struggle with this book. And I did. But I tell you what? The story and the characters more than made me want to power through the confusion and the nausea the mathematic and scientific explanations - of which there are a few - gave me. And it was so worth it.
This is very much a science fiction story but it's also an exploration of science and theology and, perhaps most importantly, what it is to be human. At least to me.
It was a superb story and well-written. The only thing that stopped me from giving it a fifth star was a comment toward the end of the book about people with disabilities or 'slightly malformed beings'. Even within the context I found it to be random and ignorant and, as a slightly malformed being myself, I found it hard not to take personally.
shri_ace13's review against another edition
challenging
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
rebel_elleiance_reads's review against another edition
4.0
I read this book in high school and loved it so much! The characters were so interesting, as was the science, and the big moral and philosophical questions it explored.
The second time I read it, I had major mom brain and it took me an entire year to finish it. I found it more boring and the 80’s setting felt dated and annoyed me. Mom brain is a bitch, so I’m going to choose my high school version to remember - that read injected an intellectual curiosity that carried me forward forever after.
The second time I read it, I had major mom brain and it took me an entire year to finish it. I found it more boring and the 80’s setting felt dated and annoyed me. Mom brain is a bitch, so I’m going to choose my high school version to remember - that read injected an intellectual curiosity that carried me forward forever after.
ozblom24's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
werdyezmik's review against another edition
5.0
I saw the movie version of this when I was young, so when I started reading this, my recollection of it was foggy at best. This is a sensible and well-thought-out thought experiment about how humanity might engage with a superior galactic intelligence. It is reminiscent of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy in the sense of there being overarching galactic builders and governments, but Carl Sagan's approach to it is much more cerebral than Douglas Adams, although his books are great in their own right. I'm sad that this was Sagan's only novel, because it's clear how well he can illustrate a world, be it the real world (the Cosmos series) or imagined (this book). His unique way of speaking and phrasing pervades this novel, and it is a joy to read.
andystone's review against another edition
5.0
Contact might be my favorite science fiction book of all time. I can't believe that I've never thought about reading it before. I was in love with the characters, the concept and the story from first page to last. What a wonderful, wonderful read.