
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
A machine orbiting a young star identifies artificial radio waves followed by television transmissions over a few decades coming from a small yellow sun, then begins transmitting a signal in return to humans on a little blue dot called Earth. Contact is the only work of fiction by Carl Sagan after converting a co-written screenplay from a stalled film that was later revived and released twelve years after the novel’s publication.
Sagan constructions a narrative about the detection of a radio signal by radio astronomers that signals to humanity that they are not alone thus changing society—with a still on-going Cold War—potentially politically and religiously. The central character of the narrative is Eleanor “Ellie” Arroway and thankful is the best formed character while several others come close to, but characterization wasn’t the best through the book which for a first novel might be as expected. However, Sagan’s narrative more than makes up for the characters as he tackles how scientists would react and coordinate while all around them politicians, religious figures, and the public deal with the news that there is life “out there”. With contacts across various disciplines, Sagan was able to construct a believable scientific element to this science fiction book while communicating it in understandable prose for your average reader. An interesting subplot is the philosophical implications to faith and religion under such circumstances that Sagan portrays in the novel, some might find it tedious or unnecessary, but I was fine with it. Overall, this was a good read.
Contact might be Carl Sagan’s only work of fiction, but it’s a good read.
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