Rating: 
Summary: Contact: Hard to understand and yet fun to read
Review: In the year 1999, one astronomer makes a discovery that would shake the very foundations of the world. Eleanor Arroway, a graduate of Harvard and California Technological University and a native of Wisconsin, would make such a discovery. Working in a radio telescope compound known as Argus, she searches the sky constantly, in hopes of receiving a message from a distant civilization. Dedicated to her work, she finally makes progress when one of her telescopes receives an overwhelmingly strong signal from a star named Vega. Looking at the screen of 1's and 0's, she discovers that it is a video clip of Adolf Hitler welcoming the world to the 1936 Olympics! After further studying this awkward transmission, she discovers that there is a message underneath the video clip. Quickly, the rest of the world joins in the effort to collect this message and hopefully decipher it. As the message continues, members of the Soviet Union make the discovery that the message may be a blueprint for the construction of a machine. This novel follows the life of Ellie Arroway during this fictional period of discovery. Playing a vital role in the construction of the Machine, she also becomes the representative of the United States to the alien race that sent them the Message. She always believed that there were other intelligent beings in the universe, and for the first time, she has her proof.
I enjoyed this book. It was full of exciting "what-ifs." Also, Carl Sagan did an excellent job with the character of Ellie, who was both extremely smart and very much human, unlike other genius characters in other stories that seem to be above everyone else. He gave all the characters deep emotions and backgrounds that kept me interested in the book. I would not recommend this book to those who cannot stand reading anything that isn't full of action. Though there are some exciting points in the book, I would not say it was full of action. Also, the language used in the book was highly scientific, and with my "junior in chemistry class" understanding of science, I could barley understand it. I did, however, have some idea of what was going on at all times. In short, I recommend this book for the open minded and the scientific, otherwise, I suggest staying away from it until you figure out what isomers, harmonic oscillators, and erbium dowels are.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent Choice!
Review: The novel Contact by Carl Sagan was an excellent read. Carl Sagan tells the story of Eleanor Arroway's search for extraterrestrial life. The trials and tribulations that she goes through in order to reach her goal are amazing. After many long years of research, she is rewarded with a transmission that appears to be coming from near the star Vega. Ellie immediately begins decoding the message. Ellie's life is forever changed by her discovery of the transmission.
Ellie has a rough time in becoming an astronomer and her life doesn't get any easier. Through college, she is the only girl in her glasses and is often made fun of by the other students. Following her graduation, she begins as an observer and works her way up to being the Head Supervisor of the Project Argus observatory in New Mexico. Fellow astronomers believe that the SETI project that Argus is focused is on is an extreme waste of time and money. Ellie must defend her position constantly. After Argus radio telescopes pick-up the transmission, Ellie is forced to deal with the constant nagging of government officials and religious leaders. Ellie never gives up on her search and continues it no matter what problems come up. The discovery of the Message spreads throughout the world and the decisions are no longer Ellie's to make. A great adventure begins that will leave the reader with a great desire to know what will happen next.
This science-fiction novel is an excellent choice if one is interested in adventure and the struggles of a woman to have equal respect in the world. Although the novel is slightly jumpy at times, the adventure that the people must face is not too hard to understand. The novel also digs deep into the feelings and thoughts of Dr. Arroway. It allows the reader to understand Ellie's decisions while enjoying the novel. I strongly suggest that everyone read this novel and enjoy the adventure.
Rating:
Summary: A Message from the Stars
Review: Although this science-fiction novel is different than the movie, it was an interesting and fascinating read. Contact, by Carl Sagan, is the story of a woman in search of extraterrestrial life. The main character, Ellie, encounters a transmission sent from the stars above and begins to decode the message. In the process of decrypting the message, Ellie is challenged by government officials, religious leaders, and personal feelings. While Ellie is allowed to finish deciphering the message, what it contains becomes a world issue causing world governments to take control of the project, and remove her from her position of supervisor. Although she is irate about the situation she has been put in, Ellie finds what she is looking for in the end.
This intriguing novel is a great story whether one is interested in astronomy or not. It is filled with the search of extraterrestrial life, but more so with the life of a woman who is obsessed with the search of other existence in the universe. If given the opportunity to read this novel, one should not pass the chance, but take advantage of it.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent Novel; Failed Political Point
Review: "Contact" is the story of one Dr. Eleanor Arroway, a radio astronomer whose work is responsible for Earth's first contact with an extraterrestrial species. From the start, Dr. Arroway is presented as a curious, confident, rational, independent lady--the ideal scientist. His description of her childhood and adolescence especially is poignant and serves to establish the Dr. Arroway we see throughout the novel.Though Dr. Arroway is the quintessential inquisitor, she is still a human being, subject to human yearnings and human desires--and, primarily, human failings. This plays significantly throughout the book, as the political obstacles she must deal with are often complicated by her romantic and professional involvement with scientists in key influential positions, both in and out of government. Faced with opposition from the Department of Defense, which is worried about what the Soviets; religious evangelists, who are concerned that they might not like the theological implications of contact with an alien species; and envious colleagues, who are worried that they might be publicly embarrassed, Dr. Arroway is forced to make compromises and concessions to reacher her one goal--the construction of the "Machine" described in blueprints transmitted to Earth by the alien civilization. It must be said, though, that the primary purpose of this novel is to build support for government funding of scientific work, especially projects such as the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI). At this, the novel fails miserably. Dr. Sagan's argument takes for granted that government has any place funding any sort of scientific work in the first place, a tenet that many (myself included) do not accept. Dr. Sagan wrote "Contact" to present a fantastic case for continued funding of SETI. What he produced was a fantastic story--in fact, the best science fiction novel ever written--but did not make his point.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Novel; Failed Political Point
Review: "Contact" is the story of one Dr. Eleanor Arroway, a radio astronomer whose work is responsible for Earth's first contact with an extraterrestrial species. From the start, Dr. Arroway is presented as a curious, confident, rational, independent lady--the ideal scientist. His description of her childhood and adolescence especially is poignant and serves to establish the Dr. Arroway we see throughout the novel. Though Dr. Arroway is the quintessential inquisitor, she is still a human being, subject to human yearnings and human desires--and, primarily, human failings. This plays significantly throughout the book, as the political obstacles she must deal with are often complicated by her romantic and professional involvement with scientists in key influential positions, both in and out of government. Faced with opposition from the Department of Defense, which is worried about what the Soviets; religious evangelists, who are concerned that they might not like the theological implications of contact with an alien species; and envious colleagues, who are worried that they might be publicly embarrassed, Dr. Arroway is forced to make compromises and concessions to reacher her one goal--the construction of the "Machine" described in blueprints transmitted to Earth by the alien civilization. It must be said, though, that the primary purpose of this novel is to build support for government funding of scientific work, especially projects such as the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI). At this, the novel fails miserably. Dr. Sagan's argument takes for granted that government has any place funding any sort of scientific work in the first place, a tenet that many (myself included) do not accept. Dr. Sagan wrote "Contact" to present a fantastic case for continued funding of SETI. What he produced was a fantastic story--in fact, the best science fiction novel ever written--but did not make his point.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent if you have ever had an interest in science
Review: ..and this is from a guy who dropped out of first semester physics. I don't agree with the reviews that have made it sound like Sagan was trying to show off the breadth of his knowledge, or achieve some literary standing that remained out of his range. It was a rare pleasure to read a novel written by someone who expressed (and revived in me) the far-reaching curiosity I knew as a child and teenager. The novel did have a "flat", restrained feel to it, similar to Sagan's nonfiction, but I felt that this was not inappropriate, given the context (it certainly did not read like a textbook--the reader who said that needs to see some textbooks!). There were some minor unnecessary features, but fewer than I have seen in other authors who turned the experiences of a prior career into a novel (recently I've read a lot of Grisham, for instance), and I wasn't bothered by them. I read the novel after seeing the movie, and recommend this sequence, since I enjoyed the book far more, and particularly because the third act of the book is significantly longer, more scientifically interesting, and more detailed than the one in the movie (although not having read the book beforehand, I enjoyed the movie's version). Although I enjoyed the entire book, the part involving Pi really won me over. I don't know if it was Sagan's idea, but it is the most original sci-fi concept I have read about in years (I haven't gotten a tingle like that for a long time, probably because I keep seeing the same ideas rehashed). He does have some of the same appeal as Crichton. While he is less skilled as a storyteller, he more than makes up for it by having such a well-performed climactic section of the book; he does not suffer from Crichton's typical pattern of amazing and thought provoking openings, an even stretch in the middle, and a formulaic, disappointing wrap-up.
Rating:
Summary: I want to be a radio astronomer now!
Review: Contact is a *very* believable story of humans detecting and decoding the first signal recieved from aliens. I don't want to reveal much more than that for if you are to read this book, there are so many exciting moments of mystery and discovery that unfold throughout the story. This book is captivating from the first page to the very last sentence. I highly recommend it to all.
For those that have seen Contact the movie already, in my opinion, the book is much better, and that is saying a lot since I thought the movie was excellent. If you enjoyed the movie, the book will dive deeper and reveal so much more that the movie did not.
One note... Sagan spends a good deal of time setting up and knocking down anything to do with religion. This is nothing new for Sagan (see almost any of his other books). For some, this might feel like old hat and a bit slow compared to the rest of the book. But it just made me crave more and more to get to the parts about the message and the amazing events that unfold after it is decoded.
Rating:
Summary: Carl Sagan's Master Piece
Review: Contact is a story about how could be the first contact of humans with other intelligent beings in the universe. Although this is a very old theme, it is an entirely different book. As an astronomer, the author tried to be very realistic what yielded a story where everything is tied and where you will not find any contradictions. You will not only enjoy a very good and beautiful tale, but also will have a "contact" with real scientific worries and concepts related to the search of intelligent life in other planets. The book also touch in the conflicts between religion and science mixed inside all the story in a very balanced way: you would expect that Carl would only support the rational side in the book, but when you read, you will be awed and surprised (and will respect Carl still more). For those who saw the movie (that is an excellent movie, my favourite), the book has less untied knots, everything is clarified and has an end that the film has not. The end chapter of the book make you end your reading with a smile in your face. One final note, when Carl was researching to write the book, he contacted Kip Thorne to ask him about the possibility of interestellar travels through black holes. Inspired by Carl's question, Thorne developed the real physics concepts of travel through wornholes and, later, timetravel through them. If you like science fiction and science, read this book. Certainly this will be one of your favourites, if not the favourite itself.
Rating:
Summary: A true intellectual reading
Review: Few books will make your mind soar like this one can. Sagan's genius shows in this book again like it has in every other book he has written. What a wonderful book! It combines science, religion, philosophy, and literature. Each chapter begins with a wonderful quotation by some famous scholar or thinker.
The most enjoyable part of the book is the debate between believers and atheists/agnostics. Definitely a very thought provoking book.
Rating:
Summary: One of My All-Time Favorite Sci-Fi Books
Review: I would never have guessed that Sagan, a hardheaded, agnostic, scientific type would have in him a book with such a fine sense of character development and emotional pitch. Having read many of his nonfiction books, I was not surprised by the social and religious commentary, which I found to be both perceptive and very even-handed. The science was interesting -- particularly the mode of travel described -- and I found the use of messages buried in irrational numbers to be an imaginative concept that I've never seen before. As a sci-fi story, I would compare this favorably with some of Arthur C. Clarke's best work, including "2001" and "Rendezvous With Rama," in terms of the scope and majesty of the universe he creates. My only problem with the story, in fact, is that it is a little bit too derivative of Clarke; the space/dimensional traveling sequence seems to be imitative of "2001," and there are other similarities to Clarke novels, such as "Childhood's End," that were a little distracting (that's why, on a scale of 1-10, Contact would get a 9, rather than the full 10 rating). Nonetheless, I found this a very moving story that has more genuine feeling in it than almost any S-F story I've read. This is a novel that is visionary and almost religious in its awe of the universe -- the movie was also enjoyable, but as is almost always the case, it can't capture the numinous feeling that the book has, despite a great performance from Jodie Foster. Don't let some of the religious nuts' reactions scare you away from this book -- it has more genuine spirituality in it than a whole room full of Baptists and 700 Club members.
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