A review by fletchie
Contact, by Carl Sagan
4.0
As usual, no spoilers.
Carl Sagan's only novel is an enthralling read, though has clear marks of a first-time author.
I will summarise my opinions concisely:
- The language used is sophisticated but not overly flowery.
- Sagan was a prolific scientist, and there has been a great deal of research done for scientific accuracy in the book.
- The plot, while plodding and often tangential, is engaging.
- The characters are extraordinarily human, almost everyone has redeeming qualities, offset by their own personal faults. This makes it very easy to sympathise with many of them, especially the protagonist.
- The examination of religion and faith in comparison to the moderate atheism (I would describe myself as a moderate atheist) demonstrated by the protagonist is fair and well thought out.
- The examination of personal belief and morality, delving into love and loss and all the hardships that accompany those things, are utterly unexpected, and the most beautifully written parts of the book (my favourite aspect of the novel).
I may not read it again, at least for a very long time, but of the millions of books out there that you don't have time to read throughout your life, this one is worth reading at least once.
Carl Sagan's only novel is an enthralling read, though has clear marks of a first-time author.
I will summarise my opinions concisely:
- The language used is sophisticated but not overly flowery.
- Sagan was a prolific scientist, and there has been a great deal of research done for scientific accuracy in the book.
- The plot, while plodding and often tangential, is engaging.
- The characters are extraordinarily human, almost everyone has redeeming qualities, offset by their own personal faults. This makes it very easy to sympathise with many of them, especially the protagonist.
- The examination of religion and faith in comparison to the moderate atheism (I would describe myself as a moderate atheist) demonstrated by the protagonist is fair and well thought out.
- The examination of personal belief and morality, delving into love and loss and all the hardships that accompany those things, are utterly unexpected, and the most beautifully written parts of the book (my favourite aspect of the novel).
I may not read it again, at least for a very long time, but of the millions of books out there that you don't have time to read throughout your life, this one is worth reading at least once.