Timstar Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 Just finished reading Contact by Carl Sagan, just wondering if anyone else had? It is about a message received from space and when decoded it is instructions to build a machine of unknown capabilities. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it, it is quite heavy on the physics and astronomy which is certainly not an area of interest to me. The language he uses throughout is sophisticated yet easy to understand. The characters are fantastic and diverse, all the possibilities and implications of the message and machine are examined at every stage. I'm going to try and buy his other books as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ian Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 I read this many years ago - have to agree, it's an absolutely fantastic read. I liked how he explains some of the physics without dumbing it down and still manages to fit in a compelling story. Some other "hard" sci-fi writers should take notes! And the ending is really unexpected! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruth Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 My husband is a big fan of Carl Sagan (I love the whole 'pale blue dot' speech). I don't think he has read Contact, but I know he loved Cosmos - both the book and the accompanying tv series. I didn't realise he wrote fiction - I'll keep an eye out for Contact Thanks for the heads up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian. Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 I've had this on my TBR pile for a while but haven't got round to reading it yet. I may have to bump it up my priorities and get to it sooner than I had planned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 I read this one several years ago, and I became a fan of Carl Sagan. As far as I know, it's the only fiction he wrote. The movie is brilliant too. Other books of his that I really enjoyed are Cosmos and Pale Blue Dot. They are a nice, gentle introduction to science and astronomy, and quite easily understandable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Good Citizen Posted January 10, 2012 Share Posted January 10, 2012 I picked this up and almost bought it at the weekend from my local 2nd hand bookstore. I will probably buy it now! I have quite an interest in Astronomy on the side anyway and I know he's renowned in his field. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted January 10, 2012 Share Posted January 10, 2012 I had no idea he wrote fiction! I love the sound of Contact, and will definitely look both it and Sagan's other titles up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Good Citizen Posted January 10, 2012 Share Posted January 10, 2012 I'm pretty sure it was made into a film starring Jodie Foster too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted January 10, 2012 Share Posted January 10, 2012 ^Yes indeed, and the film is fantastic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timstar Posted January 10, 2012 Author Share Posted January 10, 2012 I did enjoy the film, but a lot is different from the novel,even though they are both written by Carl Sagan. But it was filmed after his death so maybe they changed things. William Fichtner is great in it, but with a different take on Ken, and Matthew McConaughey....less so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Good Citizen Posted January 11, 2012 Share Posted January 11, 2012 Ha "Matthew McConaughey....less so" ...sounds like an epitaph Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parenthesis Posted May 7, 2012 Share Posted May 7, 2012 As an avid reader, amateur astronomer and past SETI@Home participant, I absolutely adore Carl Sagan for a plethora of reason. Loved the book Contact (my copy is love-worn), and the film less so, though still found it enjoyable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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