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Carl Sagan
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Sandra Robb
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Contact Mass Market Paperback – 1 Oct. 1986

by Carl Sagan (Author)
4.4 out of 5 stars 6,325 ratings
Beautiful astrophysicist Rebecca Blake deciphers long-awaited signals from space, persuades world leaders to construct a machine that many consider a Trojan Horse, and journeys into space for an epochal encounter
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  1. Language
    English
  2. Publisher
    Pocket Books
  3. Publication date
    1 Oct. 1986
  4. ISBN-10
    0671434225
  5. ISBN-13
    978-0671434229
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  1. For small creatures such as we the vastness is bearable only through love.
    Highlighted by 943 Kindle readers
  2. Perhaps the depth of love can be calibrated by the number of different selves that are actively involved in a given relationship.
    Highlighted by 657 Kindle readers
  3. Without even noticing, just as astronomy entered a golden age most people cut themselves off from the sky, a cosmic isolationism that ended only with the dawn of space exploration.
    Highlighted by 549 Kindle readers
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Pocket Books
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ 1 Oct. 1986
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0671434225
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0671434229
  • Item weight ‏ : ‎ 240 g
  • Best Sellers Rank: 151 in First Contact
  • Customer reviews:
    4.4 out of 5 stars 6,325 ratings

About the authors

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  1. Carl Sagan

    Carl Sagan

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    Carl Sagan was Professor of Astronomy and Space Sciences and Director of the Laboratory for Planetary Studies at Cornell University. He played a leading role in the Mariner, Viking, and Voyager spacecraft expeditions to the planets, for which he received the NASA medals for Exceptional Scientific Achievement. Dr. Sagan received the Pulitzer Prize and the highest awards of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Science Foundation, and many other awards, for his contributions to science, literature, education, and the preservation of the environment. His book Cosmos (accompanying his Emmy- and Peabody Award-winning television series of the same name) was the bestselling science book ever published in the English language, and his bestselling novel, Contact, was turned into a major motion picture.

    Photo by NASA/JPL [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.

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  2. Sandra Robb

    Sandra Robb

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    Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

    Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read book recommendations and more.

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Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
6,325 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book a fascinating and unforgettable read with well-developed characters. The writing style receives mixed reactions - while many find it thoroughly readable on every page, others note it's not an easy read. The storyline is also mixed, with customers noting it's very different from the film adaptation. The book's thought-provoking nature receives mixed feedback, with some finding it deeply thought-provoking while others find it overly technical.

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ReadabilityCharacter developmentThought provokingPacingStoryline
107 customers mention ‘Readability’90 positive17 negative

Customers find the book readable and engaging, describing it as a fascinating and unforgettable read.

"Excellent book with many twists. I couldn't put it down. I will have to revisit as there is a lot to take in and digest." Read more

"A really good book, much better than the film. Same story line as shown with Hollywood, but he describes the science an explains the science so well...." Read more

"...Picking up Carls book. I'm glad I have after all this time! Excellent." Read more

"Brought as gift so I can't comment on the book but loved the film and that is reason for 5 stars." Read more

11 customers mention ‘Character development’8 positive3 negative

Customers appreciate the well-developed characters in the book, with one customer noting the believable female protagonist and another highlighting the great acting.

"...written book, with good science (as you would expect), well developed characters..." Read more

"...Told from the point of view of a very human, warm, yet flawed protagonist, the novel satisfies as a story, dazzles with the science, and is..." Read more

"...There's just no personality or style to it...." Read more

"...I enjoyed the story and the character development, the heavy science was a lot to take in and some of it I still don't understand xxx" Read more

59 customers mention ‘Thought provoking’40 positive19 negative

Customers have mixed reactions to the book's thought-provoking nature, with some finding it deeply inspiring and opening minds to science, while others find it technical and occasionally tedious.

"...And, for me, the final thought is truly original and inspiring." Read more

"This is hard Sci-fi with an equal mix of theology. But it’s very accessible and enjoyable...." Read more

"...Though the writing's a little too detailed and technical in places, it's still very much readable...." Read more

"...and constraints of his discipline, producing an intelligent and compelling discourse on the role of science in society...." Read more

42 customers mention ‘Pacing’25 positive17 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the pacing of the book, with some finding it well written and thoroughly readable on every page, while others note it's not an easy read and can be wordy at times.

"Well worth reading, well written...." Read more

"...The writing is so dry, academic and thuddingly dull. There's just no personality or style to it...." Read more

"...The book itself is detailed, it's narrative told through the detail of science and maths rather than characters...." Read more

"...Though the writing's a little too detailed and technical in places, it's still very much readable...." Read more

23 customers mention ‘Storyline’13 positive10 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the storyline of the book, with some noting it is very different from the film, while one customer describes it as endlessly bloated by unnecessary waffle.

"...What a shame then that this book is such a crushing bore! Massive theme's, breathtaking consequences...." Read more

"...must have done - as the book contains small nuggets of interesting plot endlessly bloated by unnecessary waffle...." Read more

"...enjoyed the film and to the best of my memory it seems the film was true to the book but missed out the more complicated science...." Read more

"This book I very different from the film and, unusually for a book, is not as good as the film...." Read more

Top reviews from United Kingdom

  • Monika Vihmand
    5.0 out of 5 stars All well. Thank you!
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 23 April 2025
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    All well. Thank you!
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  • Lanoo_Harve
    4.0 out of 5 stars Original and inspiring
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 3 December 2017
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    Whatever you think of him, you can't accuse Carl Sagan of not putting his money where his mouth was. He believed in the concept of making contact with alien civilisations. He wrote scientific books and papers about it. He wrote novels. He co-founded SETI (the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence). And he helped craft the messages that were sent out beyond our solar system with the Pioneer and Voyager probes. His son Nick recorded the message “Hello from the children of planet Earth” that was included on the Golden Record.

    He wrote this novel and later the story outline for the film Contact. I saw the movie but have no memories – other than Jodie Foster's face – and so I read the book without preconceptions. It starts well, with the long years of searching and the excitement when a message is detected. But then it lost its way a bit as Sagan introduced new characters and meandered through the jealousies, rivalries and conflicting interests of church, science and politics on a global scale. Yes, how we would react to the knowledge that we are not alone in the universe, that we might have encountered a superior species, is worthy of examination, but don't lose the excitement.

    Then, in the final quarter of the book, the story-line becomes more focused again. Sagan doesn't try to tie up all the loose ends but we get enough explanations to satisfy. And, for me, the final thought is truly original and inspiring.
    4 people found this helpful
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  • Jess
    5.0 out of 5 stars Christmas gift
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 2 April 2025
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    Got it for my dad for Christmas and he loves the book thanks so much
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  • John Dexter
    5.0 out of 5 stars Worthy of the Epithet, Classic
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 22 March 2011
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    Throughout his life, Carl Sagan's proclivity for speculation made many of his colleagues uncomfortable and some of his peers even considered his propensity for indulging his imagination to be irresponsible. In spite of this hostility (or perhaps because of it), Sagan used Contact to give full reign to his imagination. However, whilst Contact is undoubtedly a remarkable work of fiction, it is far from being an example of fantasy run amok and Sagan never betrays the principles and constraints of his discipline, producing an intelligent and compelling discourse on the role of science in society.

    It is this self-restraint that is so appealing and marks this book as something very special. Throughout, Sagan never eschews an opportunity to educate his readers or promote science generally and those familiar with his work will be struck by the similarities to his factual writing: remarkably, all that seems to differentiate Sagan's fiction from his non-fiction is a subtle shift in emphasis between speculation and science.

    Of course, Contact was not only a vehicle for popularizing science but also an opportunity for Sagan to explore his own attitudes and prejudices through a thinly disguised alter-ego. The book revisits many of his favourite themes: the search for (and discovery of) extraterrestrial intelligence provides the central motif of the novel but Sagan also discusses sexual inequality, the politics of space travel, the dichotomy between religious and scientific outlooks, and the dangers nuclear proliferation. We are also given a fascinating glimpse of Sagan's relationship with his parents and an insight into how hurtful he found some of the criticism of his approach to science. For Sagan, Contact was not simply a work of science fiction, it was a very personal odyssey.

    Contact has aged gracefully since its publication in 1985 even if some of its metaphors seem anachronistic to modern readers (for instance, the American/Soviet relationship) and its message remains relevant to this day. Whilst it may lack the excitement of inter-species battles and inter-planetary wars, it is a hopeful and thoughtful novel deserving of the epithet, classic.
    14 people found this helpful
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  • Dario McGeachy
    3.0 out of 5 stars Great ideas, boring book
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 19 May 2010
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    Carl Sagan is one of those people whose legacy seems untouchable. From the Pale Blue Dot and his work with NASA to the groundbreaking and essential TV series Cosmos you'll never hear a bad word spoken about him. He's one of those people who just makes you damn proud to be human. I cracked through the box set of Cosmos in under a week and was eager for more. I was excited by the prospect of Sagan having a whole novel to stretch out his ideas and was curious about how the passion and intelligence he displayed on screen would translate to the page.

    What a shame then that this book is such a crushing bore! Massive theme's, breathtaking consequences. A protagonist vindicated before the whole world and realising a life's dream; contact with beings from another world! Do we sense any of this? I'm sorry but I didn't. The enthusiasm evident in Sagan's TV programs is all but absent from his prose. The writing is so dry, academic and thuddingly dull. There's just no personality or style to it. I wasn't expecting loads of laughs or anything but this book is as close to being amusing as we are to a faint star in a distant galaxy. Characters still need to be human, not machines for the pursuit of science or puppets to espouse the authors theories on Religion and politics. Dr Arroway, our protagonist, is given an injection of excitement and personality when she reveals that she is pretty liberated sexually. Not that she is given a chance to persue her penchant for experimentation; it forms no part of the plot and her only love interest is a lukewarm affair which peters out weakly. Really, her liking sex has more to do with Sagan's ideas on Feminism than it does to her character. Similarly we are presented with two religious characters, one closed minded and fundamentalist, the other open minded, giving Arroway (an Atheist) a chance to argue with both faces of religious intuitionalism. Can you guess who comes out on top? The shame is that as a respected scientist and thinker Sagan does have great idea's on a wide range of subjects but the whole book smacks more of a thought experiment than it does a novel. I have to say if it wasn't for the strength of the ideas and my respect for the man I'd have given up a long way before the finish. My curiosity did win out, and I really wanted to read Sagan's vision for first contact between Humans and an Alien race. The result is believable and fairly spectacular, or at least it would be if, like the rest of the book, the life wasn't drained out of it by the dull characters and duller writing.
    8 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Zarg the formidable
    5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful Science Fiction
    Reviewed in Japan on 6 December 2019
    Verified Purchase
    I came to this book after watching the film. It really is a great piece of fiction and is very believable. I’m sure it’s close to the truth of how things would be and that Sagan is indeed a visionary.
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  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Bellissimo
    Reviewed in Italy on 5 June 2017
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    Ho deciso di leggere il libro dopo aver visto il film, che mi era piaciuto moltissimo. Le differenze tra il libro e il film però sono sostanziali, e la storia narrata nel libro è ovviamente più ricca e profonda. Ho particolarmente apprezzato la parte finale, decisamente più bella e interessante rispetto al film.
    Carl Sagan è stato fenomenale nel riuscire a combinare la narrativa alla divulgazione scientifica, e a trattare le conseguenze politiche, economiche, diplomatiche, religiose e filosofiche di un "Contatto" con una civiltà aliena. Lo consiglio a tutti gli amanti del genere.
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  • Mercedes
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great book in great condition
    Reviewed in Spain on 13 December 2024
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    One of the books that is a must in any sci-fi addict. Is totally worthy to buy in Amazon 2nd hand, price is very affordable and the book condition is fantastic.
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  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Contact: A Novel
    Reviewed in Australia on 25 February 2025
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    Easy to forget at this time America has been such a creative nation. Carl Sagan and this book are hard evidence of this. Such an incredible read.
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  • arc_lite
    5.0 out of 5 stars Sehr gut
    Reviewed in Germany on 17 October 2023
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    Buch in einen sehr guten Zustand, schneller Versand, vielen Dank.
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