Play Audiobook Sample
Contact Audiobook
Play Audiobook Sample
(3.00) - 42,036 listener ratings
Quick Stats About this Audiobook
Total Audiobook Chapters:
Longest Chapter Length:
Shortest Chapter Length:
Average Chapter Length:
Audiobooks by this Author:
Publisher Description
The Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Cosmos and renowned astronomer Carl Sagan’s international bestseller about the discovery of an advanced civilization in the depths of space remains the “greatest adventure of all time” (Associated Press).
The future is here…in an adventure of cosmic dimension. When a signal is discovered that seems to come from far beyond our solar system, a multinational team of scientists decides to find the source. What follows is an eye-opening journey out to the stars to the most awesome encounter in human history. Who—or what—is out there? Why are they watching us? And what do they want with us?
One of the best science fiction novels about communication with extraterrestrial intelligent beings, Contact is a “stunning and satisfying” (Los Angeles Times) classic.
Download and start listening now!
"Although I did read this book some time ago, some years before the film adaptation was released, I couldn't help but make comparisons during this re-read. The core of the book is essentially the same, and it's a very interesting story where comparisons are made between religion and science and the wonderment that both systems elicit in their followers. Easy to read, and I will undoubtedly return to it again down the track."
— Ann-Marie (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
-
“Brillant…A first-class adventure.”
— Sacramento Bee -
“Provocative and often very funny.”
— Detroit Free Press -
“[Sagan’s] informed and dramatically enacted speculations into the mysteries of the universe, taken to the point where science and religion touch, make his story an exciting intellectual adventure and science fiction of a high order.”
— Publishers Weekly -
“The audiobook detours into romance, religion, philosophy, and mathematics and will most likely please readers with an appetite for fantasy with substance.”
— AudioFile
Awards
-
New York Times bestseller
-
Winner of the Locus Award
-
An iBooks bestseller
Contact Listener Reviews
-
" Favorite book so far. I've Always thought nature could be "god"... And nature is science... And further, mathematics.. So naturally this book is tops on my list. "
— Rachel, 2/17/2014 -
" An excellent novel. A great achievement. Satisfying. "
— Tom, 2/8/2014 -
" Even better than I remembered it. This was not technically a re-read since the first time my dad read it to me out loud (when I was much younger), but in a manner of speaking it was. Anyway, I think I appreciated it a lot more now that I'm older. "
— Amy, 1/29/2014 -
" I loved this book when I read back when the movie came out. I have to pick it up again soon! "
— Donna, 1/29/2014 -
" carl sagan is my spirit animal "
— Laura, 1/14/2014 -
" 3.5 ... just couldn't quite stretch it to 4 stars. Worth the read though ... and have to admit I was impressed by Sagan's ability to write a decent fiction novel, given that fiction was at best the fourth of his talents (behind science, teaching and writing non-fiction). "
— Chip, 1/13/2014 -
" I think of this book whenever I look at Vega - which is more often than you'd think. I feel like I should go look at it now. Wow, I just looked up and saw three stars, and Vega was one of them. "
— Lafcadio, 12/17/2013 -
" Loved it. Couldn't put it down. "
— Craig, 12/11/2013 -
" Reading a science fiction book that was written by an actual accomplished astrophysicist is SUCH a fun experience. He imbued his characters with such an infectious sense of awe and wonder, and his attention to detail was impeccable. Easily one of my top 5 favorite books. "
— Zack, 12/7/2013 -
" Masterful. I have always loved the movie but the book is even better. "
— Kathleen, 8/28/2013 -
" An excellent, thought-provoking book. Read it twice just to make sure I liked it and both times it had me thinking for days. "
— Steve, 8/15/2013 -
" I enjoyed the truth with which Carl Sagan wrote this book. Even though it's fiction, the honesty he seemingly put into the science vs faith arguments was refreshing. Contemplating things like life on other planets makes me feel excited & scared at the same time. "I want to believe." "
— Linda, 7/19/2013 -
" One of my absolute number ones ever. I could say that, together with Sagan's TV series Cosmos, this book changed my life. I can never recommend it enough. "
— Vicente, 5/6/2013 -
" Interesting reading. Not much more to the film, though. "
— Rui, 4/13/2013 -
" Can be drawn out at times but overall it brought up a lot of interesting thoughts about space. It's been a long time since I've seen the movie but I don't believe it follows the movie story line too much. I liked the book version more though - as always. "
— Lacey, 10/21/2012 -
" Contact is a brilliantly written book that simultaneously approaches a lot of complicated subjects with impartial scrutiny while maintaining an emotional connection with the characters. "
— christopher, 9/5/2012 -
" The characters were stock, it's a little thin on dialogue and plot but GOD the ending was good. This book is beautiful, and I think that maybe, just maybe, Carl Sagan believed in a higher power. This book certainly hints at it. "
— Rebecca, 5/29/2012
About Carl Sagan
Carl Sagan (1934–1996) 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, for which he received the NASA medal for Exceptional Scientific Achievement. He received the Pulitzer Prize and the highest awards of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Science Foundation, as well as many other awards for his contributions to science, literature, education, and the preservation of the environment. His book Cosmos, the companion book to his Emmy– and Peabody Award–winning television series of the same name, was a #1 New York Times bestseller and the bestselling science book ever published in the English language, and his bestselling novel Contact was turned into a major motion picture.
About Laurel Lefkow
Laurel Lefkow is an accomplished radio actress and winner of several AudioFile Earphones Awards for audiobook narration. Her many theater credits include Look Back in Anger, Little Foxes, The Heiress, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and The Boy Next Door. On television she can be seen in A Class Act, Small Metal Jacket, and The Perfect Family.