Contact

By: Carl Sagan

Narrated by: Jodie Foster

In December, 1999, a multinational team journeys out to the stars, to the most awesome encounter in human history. Who, or what, is out there? In Cosmos, Carl Sagan explained the universe. In Contact, he predicts its future, and our own....©1997 Carl Sagan. All rights reserved (P)1997 Simon & Schuster Inc. All rights reserved. AUDIOWORKS is an imprint of Simon & Schuster Audio Division, Simon & Schuster Inc.

Critic reviews

"Engrossing first novel....an exciting intellectual adventure and science fiction of a high order." (Publishers Weekly)
"Ingenious and satisfying." (Newsweek)
"The greatest adventure of all time." (Associated Press)

THIS is the version I love.

After getting the unabridged version (14+ hours) and struggling to get even 6 hours into it, I returned it for this version and LOVE IT. I really loved the movie and wanted MORE of CONTACT, but I wasn't prepared for the excruciating pacing and excessive details offered in the unabridged version. While this version could have used more of the actual first contact moments that I found so thrilling, it does make for a much more exciting and thrilling story by being abridged. Jodie Foster does an amazing job on this as well- her energy is very well received and should place her on a short list of actors that do audio books justice.

Exciting after the first chapter

A story that details the exploration and endeavor of contacting alien life, going through time and space, and having scientific insights toward understanding the universe just a little bit further. Mutiple characters. Not like the movie.

Simply Awesome

What made the experience of listening to Contact the most enjoyable?

It was a good "easy listening" experience - not too slow paced, and not too fast either

Who was your favorite character and why?

Elly - Her determination and resolve are what make her a unique and powerful character.

What about Jodie Foster’s performance did you like?

She is an excellent reader with a clear voice - and since she played Elly in the movie was able to pull from that performance to make the reading even more authentic.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I would have liked to listen to it in one sitting, but it turned out being 3 sittings for me - but if I have time another day I will try and listen to it again in one go.

Brilliant, creative science-fiction novel

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes I would, this science-fiction novel truly shows the depth of creativity Sagan has combined with his passion for astronomy, astrophysics, and cosmology. Top it off with an outstanding reading from Jodie Foster and this is hands down one of the best audio books around.

Abridged Audio book

I greatly enjoyed this audio book. The original novel is 14+ hours. Lots of details were cut but I read others struggling to finish the full length book, so I got the abridged version, which was perfect for me. Jodie Foster did a great job on the narration. I recommend this book if you liked the movie but don't want to dive into the long unabridged version.

Contact is wonderful

Contact is a great read and a great listen. In typical Sagan fashion, the book not only entertains, it challenges and educates. Jodie Foster does an excellent job reading the book so much so that is it easy to get lost listening to it. My only complaint? I wish there was an unabridged version available.

Wonderful!!

Contact has long been one of my favorite movies - now I have the book as a favorite too!!
It is a bit different from the movie, more character insight, the only complaint I have is that it is too short - I wish it was not an abridged version.

eye opening.

one of the things presented in this book was how infinitesimally small we are on this earth and how infinitesimally large the the universe is. How could a deeply religious person believe that God is confined to this earth only?

Very captivating & imaginative

I really did enjoy this version of the audio of “Contact”, although I did notice that it doesn’t exactly read the book the way that it’s written. There were great sections of text that it skips over. I understand shortening the story a little bit if it’s an unnecessary descriptor that the reader can just do themselves. (Like saying in the book that the character makes a coughing sound, the person reading the audio can just make that coughing sound) But it was skipping over entire paragraphs of description and I wasn’t a fan of that. I was very excited to see that it was Jodie Foster reading the book considering that she played the main character in the movie Contact. My first introduction to the story was through the movie. It’s a very good movie and I highly recommend anybody who’s read the book to go see it, but be prepared for some serious differences..

Overall, a very enjoyable story. It does get a little technical at some parts where it really comes in handy to actually being an astronomer and be able understanding what they’re talking about. But the author does a good job of hooking you back in with the next paragraph.

An inspiring story for all scientists and thinkers

If you could sum up Contact in three words, what would they be?

Well thought out, scientifically accurate, captivating

What was one of the most memorable moments of Contact?

When they see the decahedron gates in all sizes, when Ellie learns that the tunnels were created by an unknown ancient intelligence, and most of all, when she learns that humans are worthy of a place in this universe.

What about Jodie Foster’s performance did you like?

The accents!

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I changed my undergraduate major to astrophysics!!