Contact (1985)

Having re-watched the movie many times, I thought it was finally time to give the book a shot. It matches up surprisingly well with the movie, with smart cuts from the book - I was actually impressed by that. The book goes more into Elles family life, which has a different dynamic than the movie.

The part I enjoyed the most in the book were the discussions between Elle and religious leaders. The book went much more into these discussions than in the book. Probably my favorite quotes from the book was by Elle when discussing world overpopulation: "A celibate clergy is an especially good idea, because it tends to suppress any hereditary propensity toward fanaticism."

Overall some definite differences between the book and the movie, but not so much that you're going to be surprised by what's happening. ( )

I watched the movie Contact years ago and thoroughly enjoyed it. I had no idea who Carl Sagan was when I had seen it. I discovered him about 4 years ago after learning that he was behind the original Cosmos, pre-Neil DeGrasse Tyson. Since then, I have fallen in love with his work. Funny enough, I have read about 5 of his books so far and have yet to jump into Cosmos. Terrible I know.

Anyway, I thought it would be interesting to jump into his only fictional work.

What I liked about the story was the hard science. This was missing from the movie but that's expected. I didn't expect the strong religion versus science aspect. The movie touches a bit on this but not as strongly as in the novel. Sagan's writing as always is top notch, in my opinion. He has a way with words and explaining things that makes his work a joy to read.

Overall, I enjoyed it. I found it to be a page-turner.

I think I'll going go watch the movie again!

My thoughts on the ending

Religion is based on faith. By the end of the book, Ellie wanted everyone to believe that the events that occurred in the Machine really did happen. But she had no proof. The videotapes were empty. She hoped society would have faith in her and believe her story. She ends up looking for faith. The final sentence in the novel is: For small creatures such as we the vastness is bearable only through love. Maybe Sagan's message was that regardless of what you believe in, love is what gets us through everything. ( )

Dropped around chapter 4. Couldn't get into it. I think I enjoy his non-fiction more than his fictional prose. He obviously has a great passion for astronomy and describing how the universe works, but the rest of it doesn't flow quite as well.

Enjoyed a lot about the book, but particularly Sagan's predictions and inferences about future technology and society. Seeing the world through the lens of the past was quaint, if not comforting, at times. I saw in the acknowledgements that he hoped scientific advancements render the book obsolete, which was prescient. I was more interested in the science and political elements of the book versus the character studies, which tended to be exhaustive for my tastes. Overall, great read from a great human. ( )

“Contact” was the first work by Carl Sagan that I read. I remember first reading about it on a messageboard discussing faith and arts, and thinking, hmm, that sounds interesting. The novel follows Ellie Arroway, a scientist involved in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI), from her childhood, where she shares a close relationship with her father before his sudden death, to her struggles to be accepted as a scholar and scientist in a male-dominated field. The bulk of the novel surrounds a message being transmitted to the earth from a planet called Vega, which is heavily encrypted and turns out to contain instructions for building a machine whose purpose is not known. Ellie, as the first one to discover this message, becomes one of the leading experts and consultants for this project.

The writing is heavily weighted with scientific explanations and descriptions, which can be daunting for those without a science background. Still, chapters such as the debate between Ellie and two religious leaders are packed with theological, philosophical, and scientific nuggets of thought. It is a hefty novel, and readers may get bogged down in some sections, but it is a rewarding chronicle of one woman’s journey through science and belief. ( )