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Contact
Jeune astronome convaincue de l'existence d'une vie extraterrestre intelligente, Ellie Arroway doit faire face au scepticisme de la communauté scientifique à l'égard du projet "Argus", un programme d'écoute spatiale installé au Nouveau-Mexique qu'elle et son équipe tentent par tous les moyens de sauver. Jusqu'au jour où leurs ordinateurs captent un message rationnel émis non pas depuis la Terre, mais depuis Véga, une lointaine étoile. Ellie se lance alors à coeur perdu dans son déchiffrage, pour découvrir qu'il s'agit des plans d'un véhicule censé permettre à des humains de voyager dans l'espace afin de rencontrer ceux qui nous les ont adressés. Or ces êtres
semblent à présent impatients d'établir le contact : ils nous surveillent depuis longtemps, et le moment est peut-être venu pour eux de nous juger...
semblent à présent impatients d'établir le contact : ils nous surveillent depuis longtemps, et le moment est peut-être venu pour eux de nous juger...
580 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1985
About the author
Carl Sagan
152 books11.7k followersIn 1934, scientist Carl Sagan was born in Brooklyn, N.Y. After earning bachelor and master's degrees at Cornell, Sagan earned a double doctorate at the University of Chicago in 1960. He became professor of astronomy and space science and director of the Laboratory for Planetary Studies at Cornell University, and co-founder of the Planetary Society. A great popularizer of science, Sagan produced the PBS series, "Cosmos," which was Emmy and Peabody award-winning, and was watched by 500 million people in 60 countries. A book of the same title came out in 1980, and was on The New York Times bestseller list for 7 weeks. Sagan was author, co-author or editor of 20 books, including The Dragons of Eden (1977), which won a Pulitzer, Pale Blue Dot (1995) and The Demon-Haunted World: Science As a Candle in the Dark (1996), his hardest-hitting on religion. With his wife, Ann Druyan, he was co-producer of the popular motion picture, "Contact," which featured a feminist, atheist protagonist played by Jodie Foster (1997). The film came out after Sagan's death, following a 2-year struggle with a bone marrow disease. Sagan played a leading role in NASA's Mariner, Viking, Voyager, and Galileo expeditions to other planets. Ann Druyan, in the epilogue to Sagan's last book, Billions and Billions: Thoughts on Life and Death at the Brink of the Millennium (published posthumously in 1997), gives a moving account of Carl's last days: "Contrary to the fantasies of the fundamentalists, there was no deathbed conversion, no last minute refuge taken in a comforting vision of a heaven or an afterlife. For Carl, what mattered most was what was true, not merely what would make us feel better. Even at this moment when anyone would be forgiven for turning away from the reality of our situation, Carl was unflinching. As we looked deeply into each other's eyes, it was with a shared conviction that our wondrous life together was ending forever."
For his work, Dr. Sagan received the NASA medals for Exceptional Scientific Achievement and (twice) for Distinguished Public Service, as well as the NASA Apollo Achievement Award. Asteroid 2709 Sagan is named after him. He was also awarded the John F. Kennedy Astronautics Award of the American Astronautical Society, the Explorers Club 75th Anniversary Award, the Konstantin Tsiolkovsky Medal of the Soviet Cosmonauts Federation, and the Masursky Award of the American Astronomical Society, ("for his extraordinary contributions to the development of planetary science…As a scientist trained in both astronomy and biology, Dr. Sagan has made seminal contributions to the study of planetary atmospheres, planetary surfaces, the history of the Earth, and exobiology. Many of the most productive planetary scientists working today are his present and former students and associates").
He was also a recipient of the Public Welfare Medal, the highest award of the National Academy of Sciences.
Dr. Sagan was elected Chairman of the Division of Planetary Sciences of the American Astronomical Society, President of the Planetology Section of the American Geophysical Union, and Chairman of the Astronomy Section of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. For twelve years he was the editor-in-chief of Icarus, the leading professional journal devoted to planetary research. He was cofounder and President of the Planetary Society, a 100,000-member organization that is the largest space-interest group in the world; and Distinguished Visiting Scientist, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology.
In their posthumous award to Dr. Sagan of their highest honor, the National Science Foundation declared that his "research transformed planetary science… his gifts to mankind were infinite." D. 1996.
More: https://ffrf.org/news/day/dayitems/it...
For his work, Dr. Sagan received the NASA medals for Exceptional Scientific Achievement and (twice) for Distinguished Public Service, as well as the NASA Apollo Achievement Award. Asteroid 2709 Sagan is named after him. He was also awarded the John F. Kennedy Astronautics Award of the American Astronautical Society, the Explorers Club 75th Anniversary Award, the Konstantin Tsiolkovsky Medal of the Soviet Cosmonauts Federation, and the Masursky Award of the American Astronomical Society, ("for his extraordinary contributions to the development of planetary science…As a scientist trained in both astronomy and biology, Dr. Sagan has made seminal contributions to the study of planetary atmospheres, planetary surfaces, the history of the Earth, and exobiology. Many of the most productive planetary scientists working today are his present and former students and associates").
He was also a recipient of the Public Welfare Medal, the highest award of the National Academy of Sciences.
Dr. Sagan was elected Chairman of the Division of Planetary Sciences of the American Astronomical Society, President of the Planetology Section of the American Geophysical Union, and Chairman of the Astronomy Section of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. For twelve years he was the editor-in-chief of Icarus, the leading professional journal devoted to planetary research. He was cofounder and President of the Planetary Society, a 100,000-member organization that is the largest space-interest group in the world; and Distinguished Visiting Scientist, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology.
In their posthumous award to Dr. Sagan of their highest honor, the National Science Foundation declared that his "research transformed planetary science… his gifts to mankind were infinite." D. 1996.
More: https://ffrf.org/news/day/dayitems/it...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 4,561 reviews
March 17, 2022
I was quite shocked when I saw the movie version, and discovered that they had twisted the message 180 degrees. In the book, the heroine meets the aliens and is told that they have indisputable proof that the Universe was created by a Higher Power. When she returns to Earth, she has no immediate way to support her story - but she has been given enough of a clue that she knows how to find objective evidence, which she duly does. She also makes another surprising discovery.
In the movie, she comes back and can't justify her story in any way... period. So she is forced to tell people that they need Faith. This is the opposite of what Sagan was saying.
________________________________
For people who haven't seen the famous xkcd cartoon (I hadn't until this morning):
________________________________
I had not come across his letter until I saw it just now, but apparently Sagan told Warner Brothers straight out that he was unhappy with what they'd done to the movie. "Ellie disgracefully waffles in the face of lightweight theological objections to rationalism..."
________________________________
I just noticed that God's mysterious utterance "I AM WHO I AM" occurs in Exodus 3:14.
Could this possibly have given Sagan an idea?
________________________________
This just in: "Jonmaas" on Medium says there is a message of the kind Sagan hypothesizes in Contact. It is the equation
111111111 x 111111111 = 12345678987654321.
I called up a mathematician friend to ask what he thought of this argument, but I'm not sure he was totally convinced. In fact, he put it a little more strongly than that.
In the movie, she comes back and can't justify her story in any way... period. So she is forced to tell people that they need Faith. This is the opposite of what Sagan was saying.
________________________________
For people who haven't seen the famous xkcd cartoon (I hadn't until this morning):
________________________________
I had not come across his letter until I saw it just now, but apparently Sagan told Warner Brothers straight out that he was unhappy with what they'd done to the movie. "Ellie disgracefully waffles in the face of lightweight theological objections to rationalism..."
________________________________
I just noticed that God's mysterious utterance "I AM WHO I AM" occurs in Exodus 3:14.
Could this possibly have given Sagan an idea?
________________________________
This just in: "Jonmaas" on Medium says there is a message of the kind Sagan hypothesizes in Contact. It is the equation
111111111 x 111111111 = 12345678987654321.
I called up a mathematician friend to ask what he thought of this argument, but I'm not sure he was totally convinced. In fact, he put it a little more strongly than that.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 1, 2023
Sagan was a visionary beyond time. He understood the beauty of the universe by the laws of physics and how everything converged for them. And how are human beings part of this vast scenario, perhaps the only ones for whom the cosmos exist?
He continues with this idea in Contact, although this is a work of fiction, specifically science fiction. This work is science fiction of a different genre without laser beams, flying saucers, or little green men.
Eleanor (Ellie) Arroway is a unique child who understood when she was three. Her mother is sympathetic to her, but her father, Ted, is the one who structures her personality. When he dies, a piece of Ellie seems to die with him. She focuses all her efforts on being a brilliant student to become a renowned physicist. So it is surprising to have started a relationship with Palmer Joss, a preacher of Christian renewal whose religious views are entirely different from Ellie's coherent world vision.
That's when she discovers something that can shake the world. She had established contacts with aliens, and now the world needs to prepare for something unexpected. Ellie's journey out there, as well as her inner journey, begins here. She will travel through the stars and to the deepest recesses of her heart, memory, and existence. She must also understand God's hidden message in the universe's order.
And the only thing that makes sense in the vast cosmos and its millions of stars is the message: for creatures so tiny that we are, is immensity endurable only through love?
He continues with this idea in Contact, although this is a work of fiction, specifically science fiction. This work is science fiction of a different genre without laser beams, flying saucers, or little green men.
Eleanor (Ellie) Arroway is a unique child who understood when she was three. Her mother is sympathetic to her, but her father, Ted, is the one who structures her personality. When he dies, a piece of Ellie seems to die with him. She focuses all her efforts on being a brilliant student to become a renowned physicist. So it is surprising to have started a relationship with Palmer Joss, a preacher of Christian renewal whose religious views are entirely different from Ellie's coherent world vision.
That's when she discovers something that can shake the world. She had established contacts with aliens, and now the world needs to prepare for something unexpected. Ellie's journey out there, as well as her inner journey, begins here. She will travel through the stars and to the deepest recesses of her heart, memory, and existence. She must also understand God's hidden message in the universe's order.
And the only thing that makes sense in the vast cosmos and its millions of stars is the message: for creatures so tiny that we are, is immensity endurable only through love?
December 27, 2014
A smart story crafted by a real space science guru
WE CAN'T BE ALONE
The universe is a pretty big place. If it's just us, seems like an awful waste of space.
When I read this book, back then in 1997, I did it like a couple of months before of being able to watch the film adaptation. (And I am truly glad that I was able to get the movie in blu-ray, a few months ago in this year, 2014))
This is truly great novel and it's written by one of the most respected scientist in the field about science of outer space, Carl Sagan.
Readers who enjoy techno-thrillers in the style of Michael Chrichton, I am sure that they will find this book the same as enjoyable.
Sagan is able to merge all his factual science knowledge with strong theories and very possible science fiction.
If you want to read about a "first contact" with an alien intelligence in a form as "real" as possible, this is your novel.
THAT MESMERIZING DARK SPACE
For small creatures such as we the vastness is bearable only through love.
Sagan never compromised his credibility as a real scientist just to sell cheap action in this novel.
This is a smart tale with many hard science, but also it contains great characters with exceptional developing.
Since after all, only science can't tell a story, there must be people, and people has feelings, and you will perceive them.
He knows what he is doing and you get a very realistic aproach of how you could expect the human civilization can deal with the impact of knowing that we are not alone in the universe anymore.
If you are looking for flying saucers blasting lasers and the army fighting bravely against them, this is NOT your book. I have nothing against that approach, don't get me wrong. I like that kind of stories too. But, I think that it's fair to have once in a while a mature angle to craft a story about the first meeting with an alien intelligence.
You have here a very intelligent story with a strong scientific background.
Nevertheless, Sagan knows that a novel must entertain, and you will be entertained but in a very adult and plausible way.
WE CAN'T BE ALONE
The universe is a pretty big place. If it's just us, seems like an awful waste of space.
When I read this book, back then in 1997, I did it like a couple of months before of being able to watch the film adaptation. (And I am truly glad that I was able to get the movie in blu-ray, a few months ago in this year, 2014))
This is truly great novel and it's written by one of the most respected scientist in the field about science of outer space, Carl Sagan.
Readers who enjoy techno-thrillers in the style of Michael Chrichton, I am sure that they will find this book the same as enjoyable.
Sagan is able to merge all his factual science knowledge with strong theories and very possible science fiction.
If you want to read about a "first contact" with an alien intelligence in a form as "real" as possible, this is your novel.
THAT MESMERIZING DARK SPACE
For small creatures such as we the vastness is bearable only through love.
Sagan never compromised his credibility as a real scientist just to sell cheap action in this novel.
This is a smart tale with many hard science, but also it contains great characters with exceptional developing.
Since after all, only science can't tell a story, there must be people, and people has feelings, and you will perceive them.
He knows what he is doing and you get a very realistic aproach of how you could expect the human civilization can deal with the impact of knowing that we are not alone in the universe anymore.
If you are looking for flying saucers blasting lasers and the army fighting bravely against them, this is NOT your book. I have nothing against that approach, don't get me wrong. I like that kind of stories too. But, I think that it's fair to have once in a while a mature angle to craft a story about the first meeting with an alien intelligence.
You have here a very intelligent story with a strong scientific background.
Nevertheless, Sagan knows that a novel must entertain, and you will be entertained but in a very adult and plausible way.
May 20, 2018
This book is all about Vegans....
Just not the kind you're thinking about!
(3.5) Interesting first contact with aliens but the writing was quite dry.
Just not the kind you're thinking about!
(3.5) Interesting first contact with aliens but the writing was quite dry.
February 6, 2017
Contact! Contact? No…
To make a long story short: this is probably an excellent book, but I failed to make contact, to connect to the characters. Feeling sorry about that, I decided to read Sagan’s nonfiction instead, to give him another chance.
The problem I had with the novel was similar to my experience with 2001: A Space Odyssey, but on a bigger scale. I have no doubt that Sagan’s visions and ideas on extraterrestrial lifeforms are much more erudite than other science fiction I have read, where technology and cosmology are (deliberately) left vague. But that was part of the problem. I never once had the impression that he was telling me a story, but rather that he was explaining his (fictional) findings. He even explained the characters’ thoughts and actions, rather than letting them act them out. Dialogues (especially the philosophical, scientific and theological discussions) were polite exchanges of positions and information. There was absolutely no sense of humour involved.
What I learned from my most recent science fiction readings are two things: I do not want scientists to “fictionalise” their teaching. Neither historical fiction, nor speculative science fiction interest me as a rule, mainly because I prefer to read the nonfiction they are based on and make up my own mind on the topic. That was something I also experienced in Peter Ackroyd’s The Lambs of London, which I found to be a very weak novel. I have yet to discover his nonfiction, which I have heard is based on solid research and well-written.
The exception to the rule is if science (or historical) fiction is written not with the purpose of explaining science (history), but to show certain character and plot developments that are relevant in our society, to tell me something about human interaction and behaviour, or to poke fun at our way of perceiving the future (or past). I would count Douglas Adams or John Wyndham into that category, for example. Many authors of dystopian fiction appeal to me for that reason as well, such as Margaret Atwood, Kurt Vonnegut, George Orwell and so on.
I have a few science fiction novels waiting. I might change my mind. In the face of new evidence, that is what scientists would do. That much I learned from the novel!
To make a long story short: this is probably an excellent book, but I failed to make contact, to connect to the characters. Feeling sorry about that, I decided to read Sagan’s nonfiction instead, to give him another chance.
The problem I had with the novel was similar to my experience with 2001: A Space Odyssey, but on a bigger scale. I have no doubt that Sagan’s visions and ideas on extraterrestrial lifeforms are much more erudite than other science fiction I have read, where technology and cosmology are (deliberately) left vague. But that was part of the problem. I never once had the impression that he was telling me a story, but rather that he was explaining his (fictional) findings. He even explained the characters’ thoughts and actions, rather than letting them act them out. Dialogues (especially the philosophical, scientific and theological discussions) were polite exchanges of positions and information. There was absolutely no sense of humour involved.
What I learned from my most recent science fiction readings are two things: I do not want scientists to “fictionalise” their teaching. Neither historical fiction, nor speculative science fiction interest me as a rule, mainly because I prefer to read the nonfiction they are based on and make up my own mind on the topic. That was something I also experienced in Peter Ackroyd’s The Lambs of London, which I found to be a very weak novel. I have yet to discover his nonfiction, which I have heard is based on solid research and well-written.
The exception to the rule is if science (or historical) fiction is written not with the purpose of explaining science (history), but to show certain character and plot developments that are relevant in our society, to tell me something about human interaction and behaviour, or to poke fun at our way of perceiving the future (or past). I would count Douglas Adams or John Wyndham into that category, for example. Many authors of dystopian fiction appeal to me for that reason as well, such as Margaret Atwood, Kurt Vonnegut, George Orwell and so on.
I have a few science fiction novels waiting. I might change my mind. In the face of new evidence, that is what scientists would do. That much I learned from the novel!
February 9, 2017
I really hate it when I lose reviews. Okay, take two.
I was just reminiscing on my younger self's condemnation (or at least his valid annoyances at the plot holes and some of the straight story elements), or the fact that I was trying to compare this classic SF work with other classic SF works that I was making my way through at the time and comparing them unfavorably because I wanted a lot more of the psychedelic naked singularity stuff and aliens, not just a long-winded optimistic synthesis of science, religion, politics, and philosophy.
But now, after having read a lot of so-so average SF, I can easily bump this one up because it balances everything on a good tightrope, including the story elements and the characterizations...
And I'm gonna face it... I'm SERIOUSLY in need of good science and heavy optimism and reconciliations between disparate camps of philosophies.
Whoa... was this novel exactly what the doctor ordered, or what?
I rocked to all the good science. I jammed to the intelligent discussions, whether they were religious, political, or even the ethics of science. Of course, the novel is about aliens and whether or not we're grown up, too, but that's all part of the big package, and what a huge package!
Sagan is rightly considered a god. :) I'm not alone in thinking he should have been writing tons more novels, either, and not just this single masterwork.
So if I ever get the chance to travel back in time and slap around my younger self, I'll do it joyfully. Sure, the novel has a few plot and element faults, but overall, I'm rather amazed that so much was able to come out of the text. As a whole, the book itself is a synthesis, and not only its message.
Oh, and other than that, I've seen the movie like a 10x24 times, as if each iteration was a point in pi, so it was also fun as hell picking out all the divergences between the book and the movie. I was always pretty amazed that not only the spirit was intact, but so was most of the pieces.
Sure, she wasn't alone on her little trip in the book, but both ways were pretty great. Want visual? Or do you want extrapolation and discussion and theory? Pick one. Watch or Read. :) Good, either way. :)
I can enthusiastically recommend this novel to anyone. :)
I was just reminiscing on my younger self's condemnation (or at least his valid annoyances at the plot holes and some of the straight story elements), or the fact that I was trying to compare this classic SF work with other classic SF works that I was making my way through at the time and comparing them unfavorably because I wanted a lot more of the psychedelic naked singularity stuff and aliens, not just a long-winded optimistic synthesis of science, religion, politics, and philosophy.
But now, after having read a lot of so-so average SF, I can easily bump this one up because it balances everything on a good tightrope, including the story elements and the characterizations...
And I'm gonna face it... I'm SERIOUSLY in need of good science and heavy optimism and reconciliations between disparate camps of philosophies.
Whoa... was this novel exactly what the doctor ordered, or what?
I rocked to all the good science. I jammed to the intelligent discussions, whether they were religious, political, or even the ethics of science. Of course, the novel is about aliens and whether or not we're grown up, too, but that's all part of the big package, and what a huge package!
Sagan is rightly considered a god. :) I'm not alone in thinking he should have been writing tons more novels, either, and not just this single masterwork.
So if I ever get the chance to travel back in time and slap around my younger self, I'll do it joyfully. Sure, the novel has a few plot and element faults, but overall, I'm rather amazed that so much was able to come out of the text. As a whole, the book itself is a synthesis, and not only its message.
Oh, and other than that, I've seen the movie like a 10x24 times, as if each iteration was a point in pi, so it was also fun as hell picking out all the divergences between the book and the movie. I was always pretty amazed that not only the spirit was intact, but so was most of the pieces.
Sure, she wasn't alone on her little trip in the book, but both ways were pretty great. Want visual? Or do you want extrapolation and discussion and theory? Pick one. Watch or Read. :) Good, either way. :)
I can enthusiastically recommend this novel to anyone. :)
March 15, 2020
Review tomorrow 😬
Well tomorrow has been and gone a couple of days ago, and with family visiting I never had the chance to write my thoughts.
I have the DVD of this book, and know that I have seen it at least once, as my reading of this book was accompanied by visual snippets of Jodie Foster as Dr Arroway.
Visual snippets apart this is a wonderful "First Contact" novel, and I have to say it always leaves me positive about the future of the human race. It .
For a man who was first and foremost a scientist, an astronomer, a tv presenter of science (similar to our Brian Cox), this was an excellent novel, with some great characters and a story of truly galactic proportions.
In my quest to de-clutter my library of films I may not ever want to watch again, I shall have to watch the DVD and decide, does it truly represent the book, and would I want to watch it again. As for the book, although I have I think now only read this twice, it is such an uplifting-ly good sci-fi novel that I am sure I will be reading it again.
Well tomorrow has been and gone a couple of days ago, and with family visiting I never had the chance to write my thoughts.
I have the DVD of this book, and know that I have seen it at least once, as my reading of this book was accompanied by visual snippets of Jodie Foster as Dr Arroway.
Visual snippets apart this is a wonderful "First Contact" novel, and I have to say it always leaves me positive about the future of the human race. It .
For a man who was first and foremost a scientist, an astronomer, a tv presenter of science (similar to our Brian Cox), this was an excellent novel, with some great characters and a story of truly galactic proportions.
In my quest to de-clutter my library of films I may not ever want to watch again, I shall have to watch the DVD and decide, does it truly represent the book, and would I want to watch it again. As for the book, although I have I think now only read this twice, it is such an uplifting-ly good sci-fi novel that I am sure I will be reading it again.
February 18, 2009
Sagan was a lucid and impassioned defender of rationality and clear thought. Unfortunately, his foray into fiction did little to increase the understanding of his philosophies, and much to muddy the waters of once clear thought. Inspired by Asimov and Heinlein, he decided that fiction was as good a place as any to explore his ideas on science, belief, and wonder.
While we expect long, in-depth explanations from non-fiction, fiction readers want more than just a lecture from the author. They expect that the characterization, plot, and themes will build the author's case for them, and in a way that will engage the reader without getting bogged down in rhetoric.
Sagan's characterization and plotting are unrefined, and he builds no suspense. His characters often fall into cliche, mere mouthpieces for Sagan to explore this or that view. While Heinlein and Card are known (and sometimes reviled) for lecturing the reader, they still returned to the story at hand, and Heinlein at least made sure his asides were directed to his text.
The more complex the idea, the more difficult it is to show through character interaction and symbolism. Anyone familiar with Sagan's non-fiction work will immediately recognize the same arguments in Contact . Without this foreknowledge, the ideas become lost and muddled.
Many religious readers come away from this book with the sense that Sagan is condoning faith. Sagan struggled in 'Contact' with the themes of 'wonderment' and 'the unknown'. They became so intermingled and vague that they do seem to suggest spirituality. In non-fiction, Sagan differentiated the minute points that separate his brand of rationality from religious faith, but floundered when he found himself in unfamiliar waters.
When presenting an explanation for an idea, he can warn against pitfalls and refine specific points. Contrarily, presenting such ideas through a story requires that the symbolism of the story be extremely precise. The examples in the text must elegantly illustrate the point without leaving leeway for alternative interpretations. This is one of the hardest tasks any writer can set himself, and Sagan's inexperience with fictional construction showed through here.
Sagan hoped to widen his audience, to increase discussion and the understanding of his philosophy. He wanted to ensnare the non-scientific reader by couching scientific ideas in an entertaining story, but in his inexperience, he chose ideas much grander than his story could support.
This book is much more accessible than most of Sagan, simply because it is genre fiction. It is then doubly unfortunate that most readers will know Sagan primarily from this work, since it fails to communicate his ideas to new readers. This book is more likely to cause confusion and misunderstanding than to impart knowledge.
The vagueness of the book leaves it so open for interpretation that both the rational and irrational can grasp onto it to support their own ideas. Sagan should have looked at the conflicts caused by similarly confusing symbolic books (like the bible) and stuck with the clear and concise writing that so often served him well.
While we expect long, in-depth explanations from non-fiction, fiction readers want more than just a lecture from the author. They expect that the characterization, plot, and themes will build the author's case for them, and in a way that will engage the reader without getting bogged down in rhetoric.
Sagan's characterization and plotting are unrefined, and he builds no suspense. His characters often fall into cliche, mere mouthpieces for Sagan to explore this or that view. While Heinlein and Card are known (and sometimes reviled) for lecturing the reader, they still returned to the story at hand, and Heinlein at least made sure his asides were directed to his text.
The more complex the idea, the more difficult it is to show through character interaction and symbolism. Anyone familiar with Sagan's non-fiction work will immediately recognize the same arguments in Contact . Without this foreknowledge, the ideas become lost and muddled.
Many religious readers come away from this book with the sense that Sagan is condoning faith. Sagan struggled in 'Contact' with the themes of 'wonderment' and 'the unknown'. They became so intermingled and vague that they do seem to suggest spirituality. In non-fiction, Sagan differentiated the minute points that separate his brand of rationality from religious faith, but floundered when he found himself in unfamiliar waters.
When presenting an explanation for an idea, he can warn against pitfalls and refine specific points. Contrarily, presenting such ideas through a story requires that the symbolism of the story be extremely precise. The examples in the text must elegantly illustrate the point without leaving leeway for alternative interpretations. This is one of the hardest tasks any writer can set himself, and Sagan's inexperience with fictional construction showed through here.
Sagan hoped to widen his audience, to increase discussion and the understanding of his philosophy. He wanted to ensnare the non-scientific reader by couching scientific ideas in an entertaining story, but in his inexperience, he chose ideas much grander than his story could support.
This book is much more accessible than most of Sagan, simply because it is genre fiction. It is then doubly unfortunate that most readers will know Sagan primarily from this work, since it fails to communicate his ideas to new readers. This book is more likely to cause confusion and misunderstanding than to impart knowledge.
The vagueness of the book leaves it so open for interpretation that both the rational and irrational can grasp onto it to support their own ideas. Sagan should have looked at the conflicts caused by similarly confusing symbolic books (like the bible) and stuck with the clear and concise writing that so often served him well.
July 28, 2021
"Your god is too small."
The heroine makes this comment about 2/3 of the way through this novel. She is trying to get across the idea that, if your god cannot encompass the knowlege which humans have so laboriously amassed over the millenia (which is only about two teaspoons worth in comparison to the enormity of the universe!), then there is something wrong with the god you've made for yourself.
A lot of what is going on in Sagan's book, it seems to me, is the attempt to explore and express the wonder that is offered by scientific investigation and knowledge.
The story of the world cooperation to build the Machine to travel into the galaxies -- and the subsequent breakdown of that cooperation -- is a further examination of the conflict between humans who desire to get beyond themselves, and those who are too fearful/threatened/self-absorbed/power-hungry to embark on that journey.
Sagan spends a lot of time in this book giving us an idea of the humongous extent of the universe, and thereby offering his own vision of the transformative possibility inherent in that investigation.
The film of this novel cops out, of course; the film industry is too scared of organized religion to relay the story Sagan is actually telling: belief in something larger than yourself is easy - just look up, around, down, in.
The heroine makes this comment about 2/3 of the way through this novel. She is trying to get across the idea that, if your god cannot encompass the knowlege which humans have so laboriously amassed over the millenia (which is only about two teaspoons worth in comparison to the enormity of the universe!), then there is something wrong with the god you've made for yourself.
A lot of what is going on in Sagan's book, it seems to me, is the attempt to explore and express the wonder that is offered by scientific investigation and knowledge.
The story of the world cooperation to build the Machine to travel into the galaxies -- and the subsequent breakdown of that cooperation -- is a further examination of the conflict between humans who desire to get beyond themselves, and those who are too fearful/threatened/self-absorbed/power-hungry to embark on that journey.
Sagan spends a lot of time in this book giving us an idea of the humongous extent of the universe, and thereby offering his own vision of the transformative possibility inherent in that investigation.
The film of this novel cops out, of course; the film industry is too scared of organized religion to relay the story Sagan is actually telling: belief in something larger than yourself is easy - just look up, around, down, in.
March 16, 2016
As far as I know Contact is Carl Sagan's only novel. This makes him almost the Harper Lee of sci-fi (though he did write boatloads of sci-fact books). Not being much of a nonfiction reader this is my first encounter with Carl Sagan's writing, I already feel like it is a shame that he only wrote the one novel; though I am sure the world is more than compensated by his other output.
Contact piqued my interest immediately with a vivid portrayal of Ellie Arrowway, a two years old genius, figuring out how a radio works and fixing a tube by straightening a bent prong. The girl’s thought processes throughout this scene are very clearly described. From there we follow Ellie’s growth into adulthood and becoming the director of “Project Argus”, a radio telescope institute for research into SETI (“search for extraterrestrial intelligence”). One day a message ostensibly from the Vega system, 25 light-years from Earth is received. Initially, it seems like just a looping series of prime numbers, remarkable in itself but of no practical value. Later a careful analysis of the modulations in the transmission reveals hidden messages, making the broadcast a kind of space palimpsest. One of the hidden messages turns out to be a blueprint for a mysterious machine containing five comfy chairs. Well, nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!
I was fascinated by the hard sf aspect of Contact. Sagan’s popular science writing skills serve the readers well here, the science expositions in this book are generally understandable and often fascinating. I also had a feeling that Sagan is enjoying the relative freedom of writing fiction, even though he clearly seems to have a preference for writing nonfiction. In any case, this novel is partly autobiographical in that SETI was an important part of Sagan’s career. He has clearly thought out the worldwide implications of humanity receiving a communication from an undisputed extraterrestrial intelligence. The hitherto impossible level of cooperation between unfriendly countries to use their radio telescopes to help pick up and compile parts of “The Message” received as the Earth rotates. The panic and condemnations from some religious leaders are all too believable.
Contact is also a platform for Sagan to explore religion from his agnostic point of view. I really appreciate that he is not overbearing about his agnosticism, and it is just one aspect of this book of many facets. The diametrically different viewpoints between Ellie and a religious figure are articulately argued on both sides, but the agnostic view seems more convincingly presented (Ellie is basically a mouthpiece for the author at this point). It is interesting that Sagan seems to think that both atheists and Christians presume to know too much, taking their conjectures as fact. Agnosticism is presented as the happy medium.
Even though I had a sense that Sagan enjoyed writing Contact very much, it does not mean that the novel is a romp or a hoot. It is mostly narrated at a deliberate, thoughtful pace, and only ramps up a bit when the alien designed Machine is activated and weird sci-fi-ness ensues. I thoroughly enjoyed and admire Contact, it is thought provoking, fascinating and even educational. I wish he had written a sequel.
_______________
A word about the 1997 Movie Adaptation
I remember quite liking the movie, and Jodie Foster is always great. However, while I enjoyed the movie for what it was, I was disappointed in it as a sci-fi movie. For the longest time, it dissuaded me from picking up the source material. Having just read Sagan’s novel it seems as if the filmmaker has somehow de-sci-fied it, making the movie rather ambiguous about whether the aliens really did send a message or Ellie is simply off her rocker. In a single brief scene the movie clearly implies that the aliens are indeed real but by then I think the damage is already done. The movie feels more like a fairly decent human drama than an intelligent sci-fi film.
Carl Sagan was also not happy about the adaptation, though he passed away before it was finished.
The book is overtly, spectacularly, unapologetically sci-fi.
Contact piqued my interest immediately with a vivid portrayal of Ellie Arrowway, a two years old genius, figuring out how a radio works and fixing a tube by straightening a bent prong. The girl’s thought processes throughout this scene are very clearly described. From there we follow Ellie’s growth into adulthood and becoming the director of “Project Argus”, a radio telescope institute for research into SETI (“search for extraterrestrial intelligence”). One day a message ostensibly from the Vega system, 25 light-years from Earth is received. Initially, it seems like just a looping series of prime numbers, remarkable in itself but of no practical value. Later a careful analysis of the modulations in the transmission reveals hidden messages, making the broadcast a kind of space palimpsest. One of the hidden messages turns out to be a blueprint for a mysterious machine containing five comfy chairs. Well, nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!
I was fascinated by the hard sf aspect of Contact. Sagan’s popular science writing skills serve the readers well here, the science expositions in this book are generally understandable and often fascinating. I also had a feeling that Sagan is enjoying the relative freedom of writing fiction, even though he clearly seems to have a preference for writing nonfiction. In any case, this novel is partly autobiographical in that SETI was an important part of Sagan’s career. He has clearly thought out the worldwide implications of humanity receiving a communication from an undisputed extraterrestrial intelligence. The hitherto impossible level of cooperation between unfriendly countries to use their radio telescopes to help pick up and compile parts of “The Message” received as the Earth rotates. The panic and condemnations from some religious leaders are all too believable.
Contact is also a platform for Sagan to explore religion from his agnostic point of view. I really appreciate that he is not overbearing about his agnosticism, and it is just one aspect of this book of many facets. The diametrically different viewpoints between Ellie and a religious figure are articulately argued on both sides, but the agnostic view seems more convincingly presented (Ellie is basically a mouthpiece for the author at this point). It is interesting that Sagan seems to think that both atheists and Christians presume to know too much, taking their conjectures as fact. Agnosticism is presented as the happy medium.
Even though I had a sense that Sagan enjoyed writing Contact very much, it does not mean that the novel is a romp or a hoot. It is mostly narrated at a deliberate, thoughtful pace, and only ramps up a bit when the alien designed Machine is activated and weird sci-fi-ness ensues. I thoroughly enjoyed and admire Contact, it is thought provoking, fascinating and even educational. I wish he had written a sequel.
_______________
A word about the 1997 Movie Adaptation
I remember quite liking the movie, and Jodie Foster is always great. However, while I enjoyed the movie for what it was, I was disappointed in it as a sci-fi movie. For the longest time, it dissuaded me from picking up the source material. Having just read Sagan’s novel it seems as if the filmmaker has somehow de-sci-fied it, making the movie rather ambiguous about whether the aliens really did send a message or Ellie is simply off her rocker. In a single brief scene the movie clearly implies that the aliens are indeed real but by then I think the damage is already done. The movie feels more like a fairly decent human drama than an intelligent sci-fi film.
Carl Sagan was also not happy about the adaptation, though he passed away before it was finished.
The book is overtly, spectacularly, unapologetically sci-fi.
July 14, 2021
A couple of weeks ago, on June 25, the Pentagon did something rather unusual: It released a report on Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP), a subject that has long been associated with alien spacecraft. This was the culmination of the public and political interest piqued by the 2017 release of videos, taken by the United States Navy, of strange flying objects. The content of these videos was not especially groundbreaking—indeed, like all the amateur UFO videos before them, they feature grainy blobs—but their source was. It is one thing when the neighborhood loony says they were abducted; it is another when the most powerful military on the planet admits they cannot identify something in their airspace.
Opinions will differ as to whether report is interesting or boring. Of the 144 reported sightings (quite a lot), 143 remain unexplained. The investigators conclude, tentatively, that these objects are real (i.e. not optical illusions or sensory errors, since they were picked up on many different sorts of sensors, not to mention seen by eyewitnesses), but do not rule out technological malfunction in accounting for the remarkable flight patterns recorded in some instances. Of course, no rational person could conclude that any of this constituted evidence of a visitation by aliens, or even their drones. Still, it is difficult to watch the 60 Minutes segment on the sightings, for example, without one’s curiosity getting piqued. Even Obama seems interested.
In this spirit, I picked up Carl Sagan’s Contact, a physicist’s imagined version of how first contact with an alien species would play out. The book functions on two levels: as a novel and as a thought experiment. Considering that Sagan was no novelist, it is easy to imagine Contact being quite deficient as a work of fiction. Surprisingly, however, the story pulls its own weight. Yes, there is too much exposition and not enough characterization; and yes, the style is more akin to a work of nonfiction than of fiction. But the imaginative plot pulls the reader into the story quite effectively, making the book a pleasurable read.
As a thought experiment, Contact is even more compelling. From the details of the message, to its decryption, to the assembly of the machine, to the social and political ramifications of the discovery alien life, Sagan has taken great pains to imagine how his scenario might realistically play out. Unlike so much science fiction, this book does not insult the reader’s intelligence by asking her to suspend disbelief or accept bizarre premises. And as the novel is set in the (then) near-future, it is also fun to compare Sagan’s predictions with how events actually turned out. We have not, for example, made as much progress with commercial space flight as he thought we would. And our space billionaires are not nearly so enlightened as Sagan anticipated.*
The main theme of the book is the conflict between religion and science: faith vs. reason. I cannot say that Sagan was especially insightful here, as he takes the fairly standard view that science is superior because it is based on evidence. What is more, if I am not mistaken, this issue has lost some of its teeth within the last few years. Nowadays, American conservatives are more concerned with preventing children from learning about racism than about evolution. And as the pandemic revealed, cultural resistance to science is just as likely, if not more so, to come from secular conspiracy theories, social resentment, or political affiliation as from traditional religions.
Above all, this is an immensely optimistic book. Sagan describes all of humanity coming together when faced with intelligent alien life, leading to the triumph of the better angels of our nature. I greatly admire Sagan for this hopefulness; it is one of his best qualities. Personally, though, I doubt that a message from outer space would prompt humanity to come together in the way he describes. A common threat—in the form of a virus—was not even enough to make Republicans and Democrats work together, much less Americans and Russians. At this point, I think even unambiguous contact from an alien race could be absorbed into our polarized politics.
As a last note (and warning, spoiler ahead), though interesting, I did not exactly follow Sagan’s idea of there being a message in π. If you were searching an unlimited string of random numbers—using arithmetic in multiple bases—then is it not inevitable to find a long string of, say, 0s and 1s? And even if a particular string is improbable, how could you rule out a statistical fluke? I suppose a message of sufficient complexity and length, with significant content (say, blueprints to make a Ford Model T), would be difficult to disbelieve. But being able to arrange a circle using 1s and 0s in base-11 arithmetic does not strike me as a clincher.
This is just a quibble. On the whole, I greatly enjoyed this book. Like Sagan’s series, Cosmos, Contact left me full of hope for the human future, and full of wonder for the universe. He was a treasure of a man.
______
*Sagan imagines billionaires living in luxurious space hotels, or chateaus. But as I learned from a recent story in the news, even now, astronauts in space do not clean their clothes. They wear them until the stink becomes unbearable, and then throw them away. So it is not exactly opulence above the clouds.
Opinions will differ as to whether report is interesting or boring. Of the 144 reported sightings (quite a lot), 143 remain unexplained. The investigators conclude, tentatively, that these objects are real (i.e. not optical illusions or sensory errors, since they were picked up on many different sorts of sensors, not to mention seen by eyewitnesses), but do not rule out technological malfunction in accounting for the remarkable flight patterns recorded in some instances. Of course, no rational person could conclude that any of this constituted evidence of a visitation by aliens, or even their drones. Still, it is difficult to watch the 60 Minutes segment on the sightings, for example, without one’s curiosity getting piqued. Even Obama seems interested.
In this spirit, I picked up Carl Sagan’s Contact, a physicist’s imagined version of how first contact with an alien species would play out. The book functions on two levels: as a novel and as a thought experiment. Considering that Sagan was no novelist, it is easy to imagine Contact being quite deficient as a work of fiction. Surprisingly, however, the story pulls its own weight. Yes, there is too much exposition and not enough characterization; and yes, the style is more akin to a work of nonfiction than of fiction. But the imaginative plot pulls the reader into the story quite effectively, making the book a pleasurable read.
As a thought experiment, Contact is even more compelling. From the details of the message, to its decryption, to the assembly of the machine, to the social and political ramifications of the discovery alien life, Sagan has taken great pains to imagine how his scenario might realistically play out. Unlike so much science fiction, this book does not insult the reader’s intelligence by asking her to suspend disbelief or accept bizarre premises. And as the novel is set in the (then) near-future, it is also fun to compare Sagan’s predictions with how events actually turned out. We have not, for example, made as much progress with commercial space flight as he thought we would. And our space billionaires are not nearly so enlightened as Sagan anticipated.*
The main theme of the book is the conflict between religion and science: faith vs. reason. I cannot say that Sagan was especially insightful here, as he takes the fairly standard view that science is superior because it is based on evidence. What is more, if I am not mistaken, this issue has lost some of its teeth within the last few years. Nowadays, American conservatives are more concerned with preventing children from learning about racism than about evolution. And as the pandemic revealed, cultural resistance to science is just as likely, if not more so, to come from secular conspiracy theories, social resentment, or political affiliation as from traditional religions.
Above all, this is an immensely optimistic book. Sagan describes all of humanity coming together when faced with intelligent alien life, leading to the triumph of the better angels of our nature. I greatly admire Sagan for this hopefulness; it is one of his best qualities. Personally, though, I doubt that a message from outer space would prompt humanity to come together in the way he describes. A common threat—in the form of a virus—was not even enough to make Republicans and Democrats work together, much less Americans and Russians. At this point, I think even unambiguous contact from an alien race could be absorbed into our polarized politics.
As a last note (and warning, spoiler ahead), though interesting, I did not exactly follow Sagan’s idea of there being a message in π. If you were searching an unlimited string of random numbers—using arithmetic in multiple bases—then is it not inevitable to find a long string of, say, 0s and 1s? And even if a particular string is improbable, how could you rule out a statistical fluke? I suppose a message of sufficient complexity and length, with significant content (say, blueprints to make a Ford Model T), would be difficult to disbelieve. But being able to arrange a circle using 1s and 0s in base-11 arithmetic does not strike me as a clincher.
This is just a quibble. On the whole, I greatly enjoyed this book. Like Sagan’s series, Cosmos, Contact left me full of hope for the human future, and full of wonder for the universe. He was a treasure of a man.
______
*Sagan imagines billionaires living in luxurious space hotels, or chateaus. But as I learned from a recent story in the news, even now, astronauts in space do not clean their clothes. They wear them until the stink becomes unbearable, and then throw them away. So it is not exactly opulence above the clouds.
April 5, 2024
4.0 Stars
Video Review https://youtu.be/sCk5I9fP7Z0
I am so happy to have finally read this beloved modern classic. I have never seen the movie but I am certainly interested now.
I've read some of this author's non fiction and was quite impressed with this piece of fiction. While the story was deeply infused by the author's knowledge, he still managed to present an exciting narrative.
I really appreciate that the author acknowledged some of the challenges that female authors may face within the sector. It felt like a very feminist piece that I would normally expect to see from a female author.
After reading other first contact books, I appreciated the nuanced conversations surrounding SETI and first contact. I love science fiction that can expand my knowledge and make me excited to learn more on my own.
Video Review https://youtu.be/sCk5I9fP7Z0
I am so happy to have finally read this beloved modern classic. I have never seen the movie but I am certainly interested now.
I've read some of this author's non fiction and was quite impressed with this piece of fiction. While the story was deeply infused by the author's knowledge, he still managed to present an exciting narrative.
I really appreciate that the author acknowledged some of the challenges that female authors may face within the sector. It felt like a very feminist piece that I would normally expect to see from a female author.
After reading other first contact books, I appreciated the nuanced conversations surrounding SETI and first contact. I love science fiction that can expand my knowledge and make me excited to learn more on my own.
July 13, 2013
Contact is not only one of the most religious science fiction books I’ve ever read but also one of the most religious books I’ve ever read, period. In Carl Sagan’s only work of fiction, the story is a mere backbone, a structure upon which Sagan can explore what he truly wants to explore, that is, the deepest questions of our existence.
What is our purpose here?
Can humans live without institutionalized religion?
What are the dangers of extraterrestrial contact?
How did we come to exist?
Can science and religion be reconciled?
Some questions remain unanswered, but Sagan provides fascinating solutions to some. He suggests that the Universe should be our religion. And even though I disagree with some of his conclusions, I appreciate such a philosophical investigation into these questions.
Even better, the story and the characters behind these questions are fantastic. Sagan includes actual scientific explanations for the events, meaning you actually learn a bit about astronomy and physics while reading. His characters are among the most realistic I’ve ever seen. I have no doubt many of them were based on his own colleagues because only true people could inspire such realism. The protagonist, Ellie Arroway, is so impressive. She’s a wonderfully feminist character written by a man in 1985. As she struggles in the aftermath of discovering extraterrestrial intelligence, my love for her grew denser than a black hole and more infinite than a transcendental number. The plot itself is captivating, because it’s easily one of the best novel premises ever: what happens when humans realize they’re not alone?
Reading Contact I mostly felt joyous. Because I’m sitting here, right now. The most miraculous of miracles. I hear birds, I see the sun. Tonight I will see Venus, the Moon, and the stars. I don’t know why I’m here. When we marvel at these things, when nature evokes the numinous, let’s not fight about why or how or who. Because who cares? We exist.
What is our purpose here?
Can humans live without institutionalized religion?
What are the dangers of extraterrestrial contact?
How did we come to exist?
Can science and religion be reconciled?
Some questions remain unanswered, but Sagan provides fascinating solutions to some. He suggests that the Universe should be our religion. And even though I disagree with some of his conclusions, I appreciate such a philosophical investigation into these questions.
Even better, the story and the characters behind these questions are fantastic. Sagan includes actual scientific explanations for the events, meaning you actually learn a bit about astronomy and physics while reading. His characters are among the most realistic I’ve ever seen. I have no doubt many of them were based on his own colleagues because only true people could inspire such realism. The protagonist, Ellie Arroway, is so impressive. She’s a wonderfully feminist character written by a man in 1985. As she struggles in the aftermath of discovering extraterrestrial intelligence, my love for her grew denser than a black hole and more infinite than a transcendental number. The plot itself is captivating, because it’s easily one of the best novel premises ever: what happens when humans realize they’re not alone?
We all have a thirst for wonder. It’s a deeply human quality. Science and religion are both bound up with it. What I’m saying is, you don’t have to make stories up, you don’t have to exaggerate. There’s wonder and awe enough in the real world. Nature’s a lot better at inventing wonders than we are.
Reading Contact I mostly felt joyous. Because I’m sitting here, right now. The most miraculous of miracles. I hear birds, I see the sun. Tonight I will see Venus, the Moon, and the stars. I don’t know why I’m here. When we marvel at these things, when nature evokes the numinous, let’s not fight about why or how or who. Because who cares? We exist.
April 29, 2019
-Más atractiva en cuanto a su concepto que en cuanto a lo novelístico.-
Género. Ciencia ficción.
Lo que nos cuenta. En el libro Contacto (publicación original: Contact, 1985) conocemos a Ellie Arroway, apasionada de la ciencia y la astronomía desde muy joven, también huérfana de padre desde temprana edad, directora del Proyecto Argos dedicado a la búsqueda de inteligencia extraterrestre mediante el seguimiento de señales de radio a través de ciento treinta y un radiotelescopios. Cuando una señal anómala, no natural y de origen claramente inteligente es detectada por el proyecto, se desencadenan toda clase de acontecimientos.
¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:
http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...
Género. Ciencia ficción.
Lo que nos cuenta. En el libro Contacto (publicación original: Contact, 1985) conocemos a Ellie Arroway, apasionada de la ciencia y la astronomía desde muy joven, también huérfana de padre desde temprana edad, directora del Proyecto Argos dedicado a la búsqueda de inteligencia extraterrestre mediante el seguimiento de señales de radio a través de ciento treinta y un radiotelescopios. Cuando una señal anómala, no natural y de origen claramente inteligente es detectada por el proyecto, se desencadenan toda clase de acontecimientos.
¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:
http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...
February 14, 2013
Tonight, after two days of heavy rain, I looked up and smiled at the stars dotting the night sky.
I'm somewhat of a hard critic, but I had to give CONTACT five stars because it did something truly amazing~it helped me again embrace the wonder and awe I once felt for the universe as the geeky kid that adored science.
This book is thought-provoking, and absolutely beautiful to read. What can I say? It made my heart and soul sing.
As a child I was fascinated by the stars and universe, and even asked Santa for Carl Sagan's COSMOS as a Christmas gift one year. He was a truly unique and gifted astronomer and astrophysicist, and I wish Mr. Sagan was still with us, but thankfully we are able to hold on to a bit of his wit and creativity through this beautiful work of fiction. It's his own little bit of eternity he's passed on to us, and no matter your stance on life, the universe, and everything (hey, I'm a Douglas Adams fan too!), you will find Sagan approaches both science and faith in this book with respect and dignity.
Some of you may have even watched the film version of this book, which was released in 1997, and while the film was good, the book is far different, and i.m.h.o., much more emotional.
Please find the time to read this book, as it will be time well spent.
"For small creatures such as we, the vastness is bearable only through love."~Carl Sagan
I'm somewhat of a hard critic, but I had to give CONTACT five stars because it did something truly amazing~it helped me again embrace the wonder and awe I once felt for the universe as the geeky kid that adored science.
This book is thought-provoking, and absolutely beautiful to read. What can I say? It made my heart and soul sing.
As a child I was fascinated by the stars and universe, and even asked Santa for Carl Sagan's COSMOS as a Christmas gift one year. He was a truly unique and gifted astronomer and astrophysicist, and I wish Mr. Sagan was still with us, but thankfully we are able to hold on to a bit of his wit and creativity through this beautiful work of fiction. It's his own little bit of eternity he's passed on to us, and no matter your stance on life, the universe, and everything (hey, I'm a Douglas Adams fan too!), you will find Sagan approaches both science and faith in this book with respect and dignity.
Some of you may have even watched the film version of this book, which was released in 1997, and while the film was good, the book is far different, and i.m.h.o., much more emotional.
Please find the time to read this book, as it will be time well spent.
"For small creatures such as we, the vastness is bearable only through love."~Carl Sagan
August 6, 2016
J.D. Salinger (The Catcher in the Rye), Harper Lee (To Kill a Mockingbird) and Sylvia Plath (The Bell Jar) all published one novel each. Another member of the First Novel/ Last Novel club is astronomer, Pulitzer Prize winning author of Cosmos and science communicator Carl Sagan, whose foray into fiction was Contact, published in 1985. I gave the book a lot of latitude, not only for Sagan's potential shortcomings with character and dialogue, but for hopes that the novel could live up to the engaging 1997 film adaptation starring Jodie Foster. I like the movie a lot more than the book, though the DNA of what made the film so emotionally compelling is still here, hidden like numerals in π.
In 1999, Dr. Ellie Arroway--graduate Cum Laude from Harvard, with a doctorate in radio astronomy from Cal Tech--is director of Project Argus, an array of 131 radio telescopes in the scrub brush of New Mexico, studying quasar evolution, binary pulsars and the chromospheres of nearby stars by listening to radio emissions. Through public support for SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Life), the facility is also scanning the cosmos for alien civilizations. Ellie's graduate advisor, famed radio astronomer Dr. David Drumlin, lectures Ellie that she should be devoting resources to practical science instead of "pandering to UFO kooks and comic strips and weak-minded adolescents."
Inspired by a radio astronomer from Cal Tech named Peter Valerian, Ellie remains fascinated by the challenge of detecting intelligent life beyond the stars. She considers resistance to the possibility of extraterrestrial life to be the domain of kooks. In absence of evidence, she has faith in the unseen.
So why had we received no signal? Could Dave possibly be right? No extraterrestrial civilizations anywhere? All those billions of worlds going to waste, lifeless, barren? Intelligent beings growing up only in this obscure corner of an incomprehensibly vast universe? No matter how valiantly she tried, Ellie couldn't make herself take such a possibility seriously. It dovetailed perfectly with human fears and pretensions, with unproved doctrines about life-after-death, with such pseudosciences as astrology. It was the modern incarnation of the geocentric solipsism, the conceit that had captured our ancestors, the notion that we were the center of the universe. Drumlin's argument was suspect on these grounds alone. We wanted to believe it too badly.
Argus receives a set of moving pulses transmitting at 9.2 gigahertz from Vega, a debris strewn system only twenty-six light years from Earth. Ellie and the technicians rule out malfunction, military or commercial interference or a prank. The signal is broken into a series of prime numbers which dramatically rules out celestial phenomenon. Ellie quickly shares her discovery with the world astronomical community, bypassing the National Science Foundation. In addition to Drumlin, who goes from skeptic to true believer, the multitudes who descend on New Mexico include the President's Science Advisor Kenneth der Heer and Assistant Secretary of Defense Michael Kitz.
While Kitz remains wary of sharing the discovery with the rest of the world, Ken is supportive of Ellie. Working closely together, Ellie and Ken ultimately develop a romantic relationship. Drumlin decrypts enough of the signal to determine there's a picture there. The facility breaks down the signal and to their shock, find a television broadcast of Adolph Hitler speaking at the opening ceremonies of the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin. Summoned to the White House to debrief the (female) president, Ken explains that the German signal was the first television broadcast of moderate power transmitted from Earth and that the Vegans are simply acknowledging us back.
Ellie advises the president that she's discovered blocks of non-repeating information coming in under the signal that might take decades to process. Due to Vega setting in other countries throughout the day, partnership with the world community--Australia, China, India, the Soviet Union, the Middle East, Western Europe--is vital. Arriving at New Mexico is Soviet astrophysicist Vasily Lunacharsky ("Vaygay"), a colleague of Ellie's. Also striking camp in the desert are the press and hundreds of spectators, hucksters and religious nuts, each with their own theories and expectations of what contact from extraterrestrials will portend for humanity.
Zealotry, fanaticism, fear, hope, fervent debate, quiet prayer, agonizing reappraisal, exemplary selflessness, close-minded bigotry, and a zest for dramatically new ideas were epidemic, rushing feverishly over the surface of the tiny planet Earth. Slowly emerging from this mighty ferment, Ellie thought she could see, was a dawning recognition of the world as one thread in a vast cosmic tapestry. Meanwhile, the Message itself continued to resist attempts at decryption. On the vilification channels, protected by the First Amendment, she, Vaygay, der Heer and to a lesser extent Peter Valerian were being castigated for a variety of offenses, including atheism, communism, and hoarding the Message for themselves.
While preliminary findings suggest that the Message may be instructions for Earth to build some sort of Machine and debate ensues on whether or not to build it, Ellie is contacted by Palmer Joss, spiritual advisor to several presidents, a populist theologian less interested in control of the Message than he is in the moral development of the scientists speaking on behalf of mankind. Young and charismatic, Palmer questions both religious doctrine and scientific research equally, but resists any attempt by Ellie to pry him from his belief in the existence of God, a belief Palmer can't possibly prove but accepts as an article of faith.
As main characters go, Ellie Arroway can't help but be one of my favorites. With so much science fiction focused on the "hassles" of the WASP male, Ellie tackles challenges not only as a woman in a male-dominated field, but as her peer circle expands to include most of humanity, an atheist in a God-worshiping population. Her femininity and atheism are constants throughout. She's an astronomer that would make Carl Sagan proud, and while the novel doesn't pivot on personal confrontation in as dramatic a fashion as the movie, the author never disrespects Ellie by jettisoning her training or principles in the race to decode the Message. This character is a role model.
There's a lot of philosophical conversation in the novel. They were adequately well written and provide "equal time" for a variety of scientific and theological beliefs, but very little of it was integrated into an exciting story. These scenes play like coffeetalk and in fact, most of the dialogue takes place on walks or excursions Ellie goes on between symposiums or meetings. There's an academic sensibility to much of the book, with elements like political machination, religious nuts or sabotage inserted in a way that seems like it was against the author's wishes. At best, the novel is resistant to corny thriller tropes. At worst, it's plodding.
While the intellectual exchanges between highly skilled academics grounds Sagan's story in reality to a degree, the novel features a couple of stabs at futurism that feel unnecessary, some plausible (a female president), some less so (a no holds barred Babylonian pleasure theme park in New York). I think I'll take Prince's speculations on the year 1999 from the year 1983. The movie--adapted by Jim V. Hart and Michael Goldenberg and directed by Robert Zemeckis--would pare that away to take place during the Clinton administration, as well as bolster Palmer Joss' role and the threats to Ellie's work. It's a better science fiction film than the book is a science fiction novel, but this will do.
With his novel, Sagan has turned me away from atheism and toward agnosticism. Contrary to what others might suggest, I find that "I don't know" can be as definitive a religious position as anything.
In 1999, Dr. Ellie Arroway--graduate Cum Laude from Harvard, with a doctorate in radio astronomy from Cal Tech--is director of Project Argus, an array of 131 radio telescopes in the scrub brush of New Mexico, studying quasar evolution, binary pulsars and the chromospheres of nearby stars by listening to radio emissions. Through public support for SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Life), the facility is also scanning the cosmos for alien civilizations. Ellie's graduate advisor, famed radio astronomer Dr. David Drumlin, lectures Ellie that she should be devoting resources to practical science instead of "pandering to UFO kooks and comic strips and weak-minded adolescents."
Inspired by a radio astronomer from Cal Tech named Peter Valerian, Ellie remains fascinated by the challenge of detecting intelligent life beyond the stars. She considers resistance to the possibility of extraterrestrial life to be the domain of kooks. In absence of evidence, she has faith in the unseen.
So why had we received no signal? Could Dave possibly be right? No extraterrestrial civilizations anywhere? All those billions of worlds going to waste, lifeless, barren? Intelligent beings growing up only in this obscure corner of an incomprehensibly vast universe? No matter how valiantly she tried, Ellie couldn't make herself take such a possibility seriously. It dovetailed perfectly with human fears and pretensions, with unproved doctrines about life-after-death, with such pseudosciences as astrology. It was the modern incarnation of the geocentric solipsism, the conceit that had captured our ancestors, the notion that we were the center of the universe. Drumlin's argument was suspect on these grounds alone. We wanted to believe it too badly.
Argus receives a set of moving pulses transmitting at 9.2 gigahertz from Vega, a debris strewn system only twenty-six light years from Earth. Ellie and the technicians rule out malfunction, military or commercial interference or a prank. The signal is broken into a series of prime numbers which dramatically rules out celestial phenomenon. Ellie quickly shares her discovery with the world astronomical community, bypassing the National Science Foundation. In addition to Drumlin, who goes from skeptic to true believer, the multitudes who descend on New Mexico include the President's Science Advisor Kenneth der Heer and Assistant Secretary of Defense Michael Kitz.
While Kitz remains wary of sharing the discovery with the rest of the world, Ken is supportive of Ellie. Working closely together, Ellie and Ken ultimately develop a romantic relationship. Drumlin decrypts enough of the signal to determine there's a picture there. The facility breaks down the signal and to their shock, find a television broadcast of Adolph Hitler speaking at the opening ceremonies of the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin. Summoned to the White House to debrief the (female) president, Ken explains that the German signal was the first television broadcast of moderate power transmitted from Earth and that the Vegans are simply acknowledging us back.
Ellie advises the president that she's discovered blocks of non-repeating information coming in under the signal that might take decades to process. Due to Vega setting in other countries throughout the day, partnership with the world community--Australia, China, India, the Soviet Union, the Middle East, Western Europe--is vital. Arriving at New Mexico is Soviet astrophysicist Vasily Lunacharsky ("Vaygay"), a colleague of Ellie's. Also striking camp in the desert are the press and hundreds of spectators, hucksters and religious nuts, each with their own theories and expectations of what contact from extraterrestrials will portend for humanity.
Zealotry, fanaticism, fear, hope, fervent debate, quiet prayer, agonizing reappraisal, exemplary selflessness, close-minded bigotry, and a zest for dramatically new ideas were epidemic, rushing feverishly over the surface of the tiny planet Earth. Slowly emerging from this mighty ferment, Ellie thought she could see, was a dawning recognition of the world as one thread in a vast cosmic tapestry. Meanwhile, the Message itself continued to resist attempts at decryption. On the vilification channels, protected by the First Amendment, she, Vaygay, der Heer and to a lesser extent Peter Valerian were being castigated for a variety of offenses, including atheism, communism, and hoarding the Message for themselves.
While preliminary findings suggest that the Message may be instructions for Earth to build some sort of Machine and debate ensues on whether or not to build it, Ellie is contacted by Palmer Joss, spiritual advisor to several presidents, a populist theologian less interested in control of the Message than he is in the moral development of the scientists speaking on behalf of mankind. Young and charismatic, Palmer questions both religious doctrine and scientific research equally, but resists any attempt by Ellie to pry him from his belief in the existence of God, a belief Palmer can't possibly prove but accepts as an article of faith.
As main characters go, Ellie Arroway can't help but be one of my favorites. With so much science fiction focused on the "hassles" of the WASP male, Ellie tackles challenges not only as a woman in a male-dominated field, but as her peer circle expands to include most of humanity, an atheist in a God-worshiping population. Her femininity and atheism are constants throughout. She's an astronomer that would make Carl Sagan proud, and while the novel doesn't pivot on personal confrontation in as dramatic a fashion as the movie, the author never disrespects Ellie by jettisoning her training or principles in the race to decode the Message. This character is a role model.
There's a lot of philosophical conversation in the novel. They were adequately well written and provide "equal time" for a variety of scientific and theological beliefs, but very little of it was integrated into an exciting story. These scenes play like coffeetalk and in fact, most of the dialogue takes place on walks or excursions Ellie goes on between symposiums or meetings. There's an academic sensibility to much of the book, with elements like political machination, religious nuts or sabotage inserted in a way that seems like it was against the author's wishes. At best, the novel is resistant to corny thriller tropes. At worst, it's plodding.
While the intellectual exchanges between highly skilled academics grounds Sagan's story in reality to a degree, the novel features a couple of stabs at futurism that feel unnecessary, some plausible (a female president), some less so (a no holds barred Babylonian pleasure theme park in New York). I think I'll take Prince's speculations on the year 1999 from the year 1983. The movie--adapted by Jim V. Hart and Michael Goldenberg and directed by Robert Zemeckis--would pare that away to take place during the Clinton administration, as well as bolster Palmer Joss' role and the threats to Ellie's work. It's a better science fiction film than the book is a science fiction novel, but this will do.
With his novel, Sagan has turned me away from atheism and toward agnosticism. Contrary to what others might suggest, I find that "I don't know" can be as definitive a religious position as anything.
October 24, 2022
(Image: Animation of pi: (π) =3.1415926535....)
"How is this different, she asked herself, from the old-time religion? The answer occurred to her instantly: It was a matter of evidence."
Twenty five years ago, the movie based on this book came out and I loved it, watching it over and over. It was smart and thrilling and I'm sure it didn't hurt that I had a huge crush on Jodi Foster at the time.
One thing bothered me though: Ellie (an astrophysicist) was left with no proof of what she discovered (I'm trying to avoid spoilers) and was in the same position as the religious leaders whom she'd debated for years: asking people to accept a wild claim without any proof at all.
That was not what Carl Sagan wrote or intended. The producers of the movie took poetic license and changed the book's message. This was probably to appeal to a larger crowd but it was unacceptable to me. Science is anything but making assertions without proof.
Now that I think about it, I think that's why I didn't read the book. Yes, I loved the movie but the ending was disappointing.
Thankfully my GR friend Claudia recently read the book and her review encouraged me to read it.
Wow! Wow, wow, wow, wow.
Incredible!
Contact is a very intellectual book with lots of science and lots of science vs. religion debates that were utterly thrilling to read.
If you like science fiction with a lot of action, this is not your book. But if you love books that stimulate your brain and/or the "science" part of "science fiction", you will probably love it.
It was unputdownable and such a joy to read. I did not want it to end and as soon as it did I wanted to start all over again at the beginning.
I know next to nothing about radio astronomy (except what I learned in this book), and some of it and some of the mathematics were over my head. However, my ADHD brain does best with books like this that really make me think.
Give me fluff and my brain is all over the place, everywhere but on the book. Give me something difficult and my brain says ok, ok, time to hunker down and try to understand this shit. Then I can concentrate.
If you too love books that make you think, you should give Contact a try. It is out of this world and one of the best science fiction books I've ever read. Added bonus: You'll be an insider and know why I chose the pi GIF at the beginning of my review!
June 27, 2020
I REALLY liked this, but either I’m super dumb or some of the science-y stuff was too advanced for regular people
June 14, 2022
Finally I got to read it. Why I have postponed it for this long beats me, because I loved the movie. Anyway, it's one of those books which even with its lack of action it keeps you glued to the pages.
Sagan's writing style is beautiful, fiction or nonfiction. The story here is wonderful. And I think Ellie is 90% me. Never found so much of me in a character.
The debates around science vs religion are a delight to read, as well as the interactions between the protagonists. The whole idea is so well crafted that it almost seems a real thing.
And what got me this time too was Ellie's meeting with 'her father'. It's such an emotional scene and so close to home.
It would have been 5 stars if not for the attention given to some of the side characters, which didn't add much to the story; on the contrary, they made me lose momentum for a while. But it' s a minor thing, compared to the beauty of the story.
If you haven't read it yet, don't waste anymore time.
Sagan's writing style is beautiful, fiction or nonfiction. The story here is wonderful. And I think Ellie is 90% me. Never found so much of me in a character.
The debates around science vs religion are a delight to read, as well as the interactions between the protagonists. The whole idea is so well crafted that it almost seems a real thing.
And what got me this time too was Ellie's meeting with 'her father'. It's such an emotional scene and so close to home.
It would have been 5 stars if not for the attention given to some of the side characters, which didn't add much to the story; on the contrary, they made me lose momentum for a while. But it' s a minor thing, compared to the beauty of the story.
If you haven't read it yet, don't waste anymore time.
January 18, 2021
No estoy descubriendo nada al decir que Carl Sagan fue el mejor divulgador científico de esa época y que si hubiera nacido ahora lo sería de esta.
Y lo demuestra contándonos una historia de cómo se enfrentaría la Humanidad al primer contacto con una inteligencia extraterrestre analizando el suceso desde distintos puntos de vista sociales, religiosos o científicos. Un estudio divulgativo disfrazado de novela.
Se queda un poco corto en los personajes e historia pero lo que te cuenta es tan entretenido y tan interesante que no importa.
Y lo demuestra contándonos una historia de cómo se enfrentaría la Humanidad al primer contacto con una inteligencia extraterrestre analizando el suceso desde distintos puntos de vista sociales, religiosos o científicos. Un estudio divulgativo disfrazado de novela.
Se queda un poco corto en los personajes e historia pero lo que te cuenta es tan entretenido y tan interesante que no importa.
September 25, 2019
رواية كارل الوحيدة اللطيفة مثل صاحبها
February 5, 2021
Después de casi 400 páginas, ya tengo una idea bastante clara de lo que hay que hacer para poder comunicarse con los veganos... vale, chiste malo.
Me daba mucha pereza ponerme con éste libro pensando que no me iba a encontrar nada nuevo al haber visto la peli y, mira por donde, me equivocaba. Al ver primero la película y leer luego el libro ya sabes un par de spoilers gordos; pero da igual porque es una novela entretenida, didáctica y profunda como Sagan, sorprendente en cuanto a su contenido, con una trama más que correcta (aunque con algún cabo suelto).
Los personajes son lo más flojo de la novela, aunque se supone que están basados en personas reales, les falta algo de chicha.
Lo que más me gustó fue la implicación internacional y la forma de enfrentarse a ese primer contacto de cada nación y de cada personaje. Y me sorprendieron mucho los brochazos feministas, a modo de una Presidenta estadounidense, y las vivencias y reivindicaciones de Ellie. You go, girl!
Por último: ¡Sorpresa de las sorpresas! Warner le metió un gol a Sagan y a todos nosotros con la película: https://io9.gizmodo.com/read-carl-sag...
Ojalá que podáis leer la novela sin haberla visto porque es muy superior, el mensaje de fondo no tiene absolutamente NADA que ver. ¿Por qué se cargaron el final? No lo entiendo.
En resumen, me ha gustado mucho, le doy un notable y estuve por subirlo al sobresaliente porque en el 85 y sin saber de qué iba la historia, debía ser así. Pero tengo que ser honesta con mis circunstancias vitales y las lecturas anteriores... y haber visto la película las 1000 veces que la echaban por la tele, antes de que existiera el streaming... así que en 4 estrellitas se queda.
Me daba mucha pereza ponerme con éste libro pensando que no me iba a encontrar nada nuevo al haber visto la peli y, mira por donde, me equivocaba. Al ver primero la película y leer luego el libro ya sabes un par de spoilers gordos; pero da igual porque es una novela entretenida, didáctica y profunda como Sagan, sorprendente en cuanto a su contenido, con una trama más que correcta (aunque con algún cabo suelto).
Los personajes son lo más flojo de la novela, aunque se supone que están basados en personas reales, les falta algo de chicha.
Lo que más me gustó fue la implicación internacional y la forma de enfrentarse a ese primer contacto de cada nación y de cada personaje. Y me sorprendieron mucho los brochazos feministas, a modo de una Presidenta estadounidense, y las vivencias y reivindicaciones de Ellie. You go, girl!
Por último: ¡Sorpresa de las sorpresas! Warner le metió un gol a Sagan y a todos nosotros con la película: https://io9.gizmodo.com/read-carl-sag...
Ojalá que podáis leer la novela sin haberla visto porque es muy superior, el mensaje de fondo no tiene absolutamente NADA que ver. ¿Por qué se cargaron el final? No lo entiendo.
En resumen, me ha gustado mucho, le doy un notable y estuve por subirlo al sobresaliente porque en el 85 y sin saber de qué iba la historia, debía ser así. Pero tengo que ser honesta con mis circunstancias vitales y las lecturas anteriores... y haber visto la película las 1000 veces que la echaban por la tele, antes de que existiera el streaming... así que en 4 estrellitas se queda.
August 24, 2015
I finally finished reading CONTACT and am completely shocked!
First of all, the entire novel is very different from the movie (that I love) which is fine. It is still about the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, and a complex message is received from Vega with instructions to build a machine and take a ride, but the telling is much more scientific, technical, political and religious in nature.
While some of the characters are the same, their relationships, for the most part, are surprisingly different too, and then there are the last two unexpected communiques that I did not expect to complete the story.
Great sci-fi adventure, but not what I envisioned.
September 11, 2020
The word "mind blowing" should be redefined as Carl Sagan's territory. This book is a story about extra-terrestrial life; however, it is both realistic and scientific, which makes it seem tantalizingly within reach! It also offers some deep insights about humanity...
“You're an interesting species. An interesting mix. You're capable of such beautiful dreams, and such horrible nightmares. You feel so lost, so cut off, so alone, only you're not. See, in all our searching, the only thing we've found that makes the emptiness bearable, is each other.”
“You're an interesting species. An interesting mix. You're capable of such beautiful dreams, and such horrible nightmares. You feel so lost, so cut off, so alone, only you're not. See, in all our searching, the only thing we've found that makes the emptiness bearable, is each other.”
August 21, 2018
Read this book in the early nineties. Loved Ellie Arroway and loved this story. Then the movie came out and I loved that too! One of my most favorite female-centric scifi stories written by a male.
January 29, 2018
This is an excellent thought experiment by a well-known and respected scientist on how contact with extra-terrestrials could realistically unfold. I say thought experiment because as a novel the book didn’t always work so well.
I understand that real science is not like it is portrayed in the movies. It takes a lot of time and hard work to make a discovery, test the hypotheses, confirm the conclusion etc etc so its not really a surprise that this book’s pacing was much slower than most sci fi novels seeing that its written from the perspective of an actual scientist.
Very often the dialogue between characters felt artificial. Certain concepts obviously need to be conveyed to the reader and the only way it could be done between two scientists was in the form of long monologues that felt like lectures. It was informative but not believable.
Now I most definitely did not dislike the book, it left me with a better understanding of radio astrophysics, I found the part where the movie stopped, and the book continued excellent however the very last few pages were unnecessary.
I was also left with a new desire to visit my local planetarium.
There is no doubt this is an intelligent look at a concept that human beings have speculated about since the first star gazers. Perhaps if I had read this at another time when my life didn’t have as many distractions I would have rated it higher.
I understand that real science is not like it is portrayed in the movies. It takes a lot of time and hard work to make a discovery, test the hypotheses, confirm the conclusion etc etc so its not really a surprise that this book’s pacing was much slower than most sci fi novels seeing that its written from the perspective of an actual scientist.
Very often the dialogue between characters felt artificial. Certain concepts obviously need to be conveyed to the reader and the only way it could be done between two scientists was in the form of long monologues that felt like lectures. It was informative but not believable.
Now I most definitely did not dislike the book, it left me with a better understanding of radio astrophysics, I found the part where the movie stopped, and the book continued excellent however the very last few pages were unnecessary.
I was also left with a new desire to visit my local planetarium.
There is no doubt this is an intelligent look at a concept that human beings have speculated about since the first star gazers. Perhaps if I had read this at another time when my life didn’t have as many distractions I would have rated it higher.
December 13, 2022
Toda su vida había estudiado el universo, pero nunca reparó en su mensaje más sencillo: las criaturas pequeñas como nosotros solo podemos soportar la inmensidad por medio del amor.
Un libro difícil de reseñar, puesto que es un libro escrito por un autor que no se dedica profesionalmente a escribir, sino que es científico, pero a su vez tiene un estilo de narración muy elaborado y en ocasiones poético, como se demuestra en la cita inicial. ¿Y en qué consiste este libro? Eleanor Arroway desde muy pequeñita ha sentido fascinación por el funcionamiento de las cosas. Al contrario de lo que se esperaba de ella (estamos a mediados de los 60) ha decidido estudiar una carrera científica, y tras graduarse comienza a trabajar en el campo de la radioastronomía. En el ejericio de sus funciones, descubre un mensaje llegado desde la estrella Vega. ¿Será un mensaje real? ¿Qué quiere decir ese mensaje?
Este libro tiene una función didáctica en el sentido que Sagan nos quiere hacer entender su forma de ver el universo, pero no se centra en dar datos o poner teorías matemáticas sobre la mesa, sino que también crea debate sobre la religión y la teología, pero sin querer imponer nada. Y eso me ha gustado, no pretende imponer sus criterios sino hacer entender a la gente los diversos puntos de vista.
¿De veras quiere poner a prueba mi fe en la física que sustenta los osciladores armónicos? De acuerdo.
El personaje de Eleanor, Ellie por lo general, es una persona con grandes problemas de confianza en la gente, prefiriendo ir por libre en lo general, lo que no es malo, pero cuando el mensaje llega tendrá que enfrentar la situación entendiendo que otras personas puedan ver las cosas de otra manera. Hay una gran cantidad de personajes secundarios que me parecen más interesantes que ella, como pueden ser Palmer Joss o Vaygay, aunque hay otro que son realmente odiosos (Rankin en su fanatismo, o )
La obra también hace alusión a los fanatismos religiosos y a los movimientos fundamentalistas, que hoy día están tan en boga, y no solo en cuanto a la religión. El punto de vista de Sagan queda bastante claro, aunque es bastante lógico pensar lo mismo que él.
-Pero ¿por qué nos comunicamos?-
-Para intercambiar información-. Porque nos alimentamos de ella. La información es imprescindible para nuestra supervivencia; si no la tuviéramos, moriríamos.
Me gusta mucho el planteamiento que se hace sobre qué sería necesario para que la humanidad dejase sus diferencias de lado y colaborase en un fin superior, y aunque el final no es lo que yo esperaba, el camino que plantea está muy bien. Siendo un libro tan científico no se hace difícil en asboluto, y plantea un buen montón de temas interesantes.
Y Eleanor encontró, por fin, lo que buscaba.
----------------------------------
She had studied the universe all her life, but had overlooked its clearest message: For small creatures such as we the vastness is bearable only through love
A difficult book to review, since it is a book written by an author who is not professionally dedicated to writing, but rather a scientist, but at the same time has a very elaborate and sometimes poetic style of narration, as shown in the initial quote . And what is this book about? Eleanor Arroway from a very young age has been fascinated by how things work. Contrary to what was expected of her (we are in the mid-60s) she has decided to pursue a scientific career, and after graduating she begins to work in the field of radio astronomy. In the exercise of her duties, she discovers a message from the star Vega. Is it a real message? What does that message mean?
This book has a didactic function in the sense that Sagan wants to make us understand his way of seeing the universe, but he does not focus on giving data or putting mathematical theories on the table, but also creates debate about religion and theology, but without wanting to impose anything. And I liked that, he does not intend to impose his criteria but to make people understand the different points of view.
Do you really want to test my faith in the physics behind harmonic oscillators? Okay.
Eleanor's character, Ellie, is generally a person with big trust issues in people, preferring to do things alone in general, which is not a bad thing, but when the message arrives, she will have to face the situation understanding that other people may see things differently. There are a lot of secondary characters that I find more interesting than her, such as Palmer Joss or Vaygay, although there are others who are really hateful (Rankin in his fanaticism, or )
The work also alludes to religious fanaticism and fundamentalist movements, which are so in vogue today, and not only in terms of religion. Sagan's point of view is quite clear, although it is quite logical to think the same as him.
-But why do we communicate?-
-To exchange information-. Because we feed on it. Information is essential for our survival; if we didn't have it, we would die.
I really like the approach that is made about what would be necessary for humanity to put aside its differences and collaborate for a higher purpose, and although the ending is not what I expected, the path that it proposes is very good. Being such a scientific book, it is not difficult at all, and it raises a lot of interesting topics.
And Eleanor found, at last, what she was looking for.
October 23, 2018
Following on the footsteps of many other scientists like Asimov and Arthur C. Clarke, Carl Sagan wrote a novel: Contact.
Contact is an interesting mix of hard science and the exploration of the nature of faith and truth, that does an excellent job at showing us how politics can mess everything up. It’s also a favorite of mine.
Dr. Ellie Arroway, an astronomer on a quest to find extra-terrestrial life, is the director of a group of scientists searching for out-of-planet signals. When a computer picks up a signal coming from the vicinity of the star Vega, which turns out to be a series of prime numbers, Ellie and the world get to confirm that there’s life somewhere out there.
A big part of what I like about Contact is that it reads like a science lecture, albeit a better lecture than your average college class. As the plot moves along, Sagan goes into the minutiae of the science involved, explaining the origin of the SETI program and how the satellites work. He never treats us as idiots though, so you'll need to pay attention or risk his explanations flying over your head (and even so, don't worry, you can follow the plot without having to get well acquainted with all the science).
The novel, written during the Cold War, shows the tension between the USSR and the US, since when the message is decoded, the nations come to an unlikely truce as they promise to share their information in order to build the machine as instructed in the alien message. What the machine will do, no one has any idea, and a lot of time is spent in trying to figure out if this machine should even be built in the first place.
The other thing I like about this book is how strong Sagan's female characters are. Ellie Arroway is brilliant, strong and imaginative, and she knows it. As she has to fight her way into being accepted by the scientific community she doesn't take any bullshit from anyone, no matter what. And she does it without turning into a crazy harpy, remaining the levelheaded but passionate scientist she is. Sagan also makes the President of the USA a woman, but it's just a fact he throws out, never made into a big deal.
This book is a brilliant look at humanity and how we look at the world and our place in it. It leaves you thinking, both about the world at large but also about personal and very private beliefs.
One word of caution, don't expect a lot of action or craziness with this book —so don't worry, it's nothing like the movie—but an extremely well put together mystery that will surprise you more than once.
Contact is an interesting mix of hard science and the exploration of the nature of faith and truth, that does an excellent job at showing us how politics can mess everything up. It’s also a favorite of mine.
Dr. Ellie Arroway, an astronomer on a quest to find extra-terrestrial life, is the director of a group of scientists searching for out-of-planet signals. When a computer picks up a signal coming from the vicinity of the star Vega, which turns out to be a series of prime numbers, Ellie and the world get to confirm that there’s life somewhere out there.
A big part of what I like about Contact is that it reads like a science lecture, albeit a better lecture than your average college class. As the plot moves along, Sagan goes into the minutiae of the science involved, explaining the origin of the SETI program and how the satellites work. He never treats us as idiots though, so you'll need to pay attention or risk his explanations flying over your head (and even so, don't worry, you can follow the plot without having to get well acquainted with all the science).
The novel, written during the Cold War, shows the tension between the USSR and the US, since when the message is decoded, the nations come to an unlikely truce as they promise to share their information in order to build the machine as instructed in the alien message. What the machine will do, no one has any idea, and a lot of time is spent in trying to figure out if this machine should even be built in the first place.
The other thing I like about this book is how strong Sagan's female characters are. Ellie Arroway is brilliant, strong and imaginative, and she knows it. As she has to fight her way into being accepted by the scientific community she doesn't take any bullshit from anyone, no matter what. And she does it without turning into a crazy harpy, remaining the levelheaded but passionate scientist she is. Sagan also makes the President of the USA a woman, but it's just a fact he throws out, never made into a big deal.
This book is a brilliant look at humanity and how we look at the world and our place in it. It leaves you thinking, both about the world at large but also about personal and very private beliefs.
One word of caution, don't expect a lot of action or craziness with this book —so don't worry, it's nothing like the movie—but an extremely well put together mystery that will surprise you more than once.
February 5, 2021
Me ha gustado bastante, la forma en que autor aborda el tema de una señal extraterrestre y sus consecuencias para la humanidad, las discrepancias que surgirían, las distintas religiones que se crearían en torno a esa señal, los conflictos con la religión existente, los miedos a lo desconocido, aborda todos estos temas de manera bastante amena y concisa.
.
.
March 18, 2009
I was surprised by how similar the original story was to the movie, as I had heard they butchered it. Not so. The only changes of any weight were in Ellie's relationships to the other major characters, and the removal of dated material relating to the Soviet Union.
Sagan's forte is definitely in non-fiction science popularization, and it is on display even in this work of fiction, where I'm sorry to say, it doesn't make for particularly good storytelling.
I was not surprised by the book's greatest virtue, the preponderance of wonder, a deep and abiding respect for nature and humility before that which science has not (yet) elucidated. That and myriad ruminations on the nature and likelyhood of far more advanced civilizations than our own inhabiting the universe. This is very well done, and I was gratified that Sagan's original writing expounded on these topics far more than the movie could convey.
Sagan's forte is definitely in non-fiction science popularization, and it is on display even in this work of fiction, where I'm sorry to say, it doesn't make for particularly good storytelling.
I was not surprised by the book's greatest virtue, the preponderance of wonder, a deep and abiding respect for nature and humility before that which science has not (yet) elucidated. That and myriad ruminations on the nature and likelyhood of far more advanced civilizations than our own inhabiting the universe. This is very well done, and I was gratified that Sagan's original writing expounded on these topics far more than the movie could convey.
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