Contact

My favorite book, written by one of my favorite people (Carl Sagan).

I am writing this review to mainly focus on the major differences between the movie and the book.The book follows the same basic plot as the movie, but with a few exceptions (SPOILER ALERT):

- Ellie's mother is not dead, as in the movie. While Ellie's father passes away, her mother is around throughout her childhood and her adult life.

- Ellie and her stepfather (also not present in the movie) have a strained and reoccurring relationship throughout the book.

- Ellie's childhood, teenage years, and early graduate and internship years are described in a more detail.

- The President of USA has a more prominent, reoccurring role, and is female.

- Ellie has many romantic relationships (i.e., sexual relationships with a lab assistant early in her career, and then with Kent the Russian Scientist later in her career; and sexual tension with Drummond and then to an even greater degree with Vagay), albeit not with Palmer Joss who is the one individual she does have a romantic relationship with in the movie.

- Three machines, not two, are constructed (i.e., in the USA, Japan, and Russia). This was interesting because by the time the story concludes only two machines have been used (or should I say, one has been destroyed and one has been used and possibly is not able to be used again), with the machine in Russia still unused.

- Ellie is not the only individual who makes the trips; several delegates make the trip with her and have their own unique experiences.

- The conversation Ellie has with the alien is much, much more detailed and extensive, and for me was a real highlight of the story.

- Following her voyage in the machine, Ellie learns something interesting about the number for "pi" (i.e., 3.14...) that provides an interesting twist at the conclusion of the story.

In summary, excellent book, and not only because of the writing but due to the narrator's great performance as well. Lefkow did an outstanding job as a true Voice Actor. Most of the supporting characters are male and the narrator (female) did a superb job rising to the challenge of voice acting each male character without sounding odd or goofy.

As good as the movie was, this book is orders of magnitude better. I had struggled with whether to choose the abridged, with Ms. Foster, or the unabridged. I am glad I chose the unabridged. As fan of science, I enjoyed hearing Dr. Sagan’s perspective on science and religion and I suspect those passages were what got chopped in the abridged. Those plus there were times when the plot wandered about. So if you’d rather focus on the main plot line, the abridged might be a better choice.
Laurel Lefkow’s narration was excellent. Only one of the accents annoyed me, the New York street accent. But honestly, that’s not her fault – she was true to the description of the accent given in the book.
Whichever version you chose, you will not be unhappy. It’s a great audiobook, well worth the listen.

This recording has technical issues with it that I noticed after awhile. The recording skips at several instances, for example go to Chapter 11 and at 4:22 the recording skips some of the story. I have verified that it is indeed skipping by looking at the ebook on Google:


Hopefully this will be fixed and re-digitized soon.

Incredibly thought-provoking story. Intelligently written without a hint of pretension. Many parts of the story serve as a backdrop for rational discussion regarding the beliefs and faith of scientists and religious practitioners.

Conversations between Dr. Eroway and Palmer Joss.

Well-paced. Bad accents. Perfect for Dr. Eroway's voice

A couple laugh-out-loud and "aha!" moments.

I do believe that if contact was made through radio transmissions, that it would go similar to part one of this book.

Part one gave you some of the awe and wonder of space and how hard scientist work to make discoveries. You can see in the first part of this book where Robert J. Sawyer got some of his ideas for WWW. Wake.

Chapter 10 started part 2. Chapter 10 is a long debate between an agnostic and a bible thumping preacher. I have read some non-fiction books from Sagan and he has mentioned his religious beliefs and his politics. In a non-fiction book I am okay with that, but in a fiction work I believe it is too self serving. Who wouldn't like to have a debate where you dream up the arguments of your opponents? Nor do I have a problem with Sagan being an Agnostic. Arthur C. Clarke is one of my favorite authors and he was an Atheist. Like most books of this time and authors from the Age of Aquarius, there is much talk about Vietnam and Racism.

Part 3 starts with chapter 19. Five chosen people are sent to visit the aliens. Sagan borrows a little from Raymond F. Jones and This Island Earth for this part. The aliens in Jones' book are a lot more interesting. I found Sagan's aliens to be a little anti-climatic. I also could not believe how bitchy the five chosen got on the trip.

I would give part one, four starts, Part two, three stars and Part three, four stars. As a whole three stars.

I like the "Contact" movie, and I originally read the book first. Reading the book add some different dimensions to the story. Its too bad Carl Sagan isn't around to update his story, I'm sure he'd have some interesting things to say. I liked the movie for its special effects, and Jodie Foster. The original story by Sagan has that interesting ending..suppose you to were able to graph out the numbers to PI.....do you suppose the numbers might form a circle?

Making science popular for at least two generations of people, Carl Sagan's Contact goes a long way in doing just that: making science comprehensible in the form of this novel. Dr. Eleanor Arroway is an accessible, likable character and Laurel Lefkow performs her beautifully. Theists, atheists, and agnostics, and even the scientifically illiterate can all equally enjoy this book.

If you've ever been even slightly interested in SETI-the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence, or in astronomy, please read or listen to Contact, but don't expect it to be like the movie.

Yes because this book is read by the perfect actor.

Elle Airaway because of the characteristics I share with her.

My favorite seen is when the Machine takes them through several worm holes to arive at their destination and they five characters meet the aliens before being told to go back.

No

Absolutely mesmerizing story about the wasted energy expended in choosing between science and God.

Without either there can be neither.

What sticks out most is the dawning realization by the heroine of the real science.

She is almost conversational in tone. Not quite as conversational as Jodie Foster, who read the abridged version, but sufficiently to permit my mind to concentrate on story instead of performance.

Great reader.

Yes, absolutely even though I have seen the movie twice before.

Buy the book also and read along with Laura for double the pleasure.

A modern 'classic'. It is a really good piece of prose that I think was better in its movie form. The book it fine for about 3/4's of the plot then the last 1/4...I am glad did not make it in the film.