Contact

By: Carl Sagan

Narrated by: Jodie Foster

Length: 4 hrs and 38 mins

Publisher's summary

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)

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.

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.

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?

As expected... far better than the movie

I fully expected this book to be excellent with Jodi Foster reading, and I was not disappointed. Her oration was excellent and matched the quality of Sagan's imagination.

The story is fantastically creative, technical, and detailed, yet remains within the realm of possibilities.

Look up, look within

As with any book by Carl Sagan, Cosmos is a masterpiece. Ms. Foster’s performance was great as well.

Ellie and the beeps

Carl Sagan’s Contact is a book about a scientist named Ellie Arowway who has been interested in radio astronomy ever since she was a child. One day as she was listening to radio silence she heard a sequence of beeps. After finding out they were prime numbers she and her team decoded the message to reveal instructions to some kind of machine. After Ellie goes into the machine she sees a lot of beautiful stuff and learns all of the secrets of the universe. The best thing about Contact that makes it so good is how much Carl Sagan commits to this world he created. He goes into depth with the math that Ellie and others use, almost if it was based on a true story. He also describes areas better than almost any other book i’ve read before. Contact is a great book that I would highly recommend if you like science fiction and are okay with a longer book.