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.
orbert83's review
5.0
Wow! I'm in love. This is my new favorite book. What a gorgeous and elegantly written novel. It's such a a wonderful story, and a love letter to science itself. Just a beautiful work of art.
samlikestoreadbooks's review against another edition
5.0
“For small creatures such as we the vastness is bearable only through love.”
vicious_circe's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
inspiring
mysterious
slow-paced
5.0
shalot's review against another edition
2.0
I love Carl Sagan’s educational writing and programs, and I was excited when I found out he wrote ‘Contact’. However, this wasn’t the book I was looking for. In my opinion, the book should have ended 50 pages sooner and the last page of the story just made me roll my eyes.
I was hoping the end would make up for the chapters of religious debate and political positioning, but it didn’t. I found this book to be such an unrelenting slog and I’m sad I couldn’t enjoy it even moderately. I kept waiting for the grand reveal that just never showed up.
I was hoping the end would make up for the chapters of religious debate and political positioning, but it didn’t. I found this book to be such an unrelenting slog and I’m sad I couldn’t enjoy it even moderately. I kept waiting for the grand reveal that just never showed up.
adiatlas's review against another edition
5.0
“The universe is strictly ordered according to its own rules. We are trapped by our time and our culture and our biology, how limited we are, by definition, in imagining fundamentally different creatures or civilizations.”
fluxuate27's review against another edition
4.0
A bit plodding at times but very interesting concepts
valentipeter's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0