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4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
Interesting to re-read this debate of faith and science today while science is being attacked regularly. This book portrays the debate so eloquently, rationally and without sensationalism. The book is a little slow at the beginning but gets so interesting once it gets into the discovery and the ongoing debate. Thank you Carl Sagan.
This is probably one of my favorite books of all time. Which is kind of silly, as Sagan was crazy in the head.
Admittedly, I saw the movie version of this first before reading the book. I thought the movie was wonderful, so I wasn't surprised to find that the book was even moreso.
Eleanor Arroway is still my favorite heroine. I think her flaws are the flaws that a lot of driven people run into.
Admittedly, I saw the movie version of this first before reading the book. I thought the movie was wonderful, so I wasn't surprised to find that the book was even moreso.
Eleanor Arroway is still my favorite heroine. I think her flaws are the flaws that a lot of driven people run into.
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The premise of this novel is very compelling, enough so that it makes absolute sense why it deserves recognition as a sci-fi classic: is there a hidden message in the numbers of pi?
This is one of my all-time favorite movies, viewed dozens of times. I've always been reluctant to read this book, for fear that it would be disappointing. I dare say, it might even be slightly better than the movie. The story is essentially the same--brilliant female astronomer pooh-poohs the naysayers and "wastes" her promising career on scanning the cosmos for communications from extraterrestrial life, then shuts them all up by discovering an unmistakable message from an intelligent source. Many details are different from the movie--her family, her relationship with the religious leader Palmer Joss, the details of the Machine, the results of the voyage--but for good reasons. You could see how the storyline of the movie had to be changed to accommodate the general public by making it more accessible and sensational, but it was done in a good way (Sagan, as an advisor for the movie, wouldn't have had it any other way). The book is more subdued, matter-of-fact, more realistic. It focuses less on Ellie's personal experience, and more on the world's reaction to the Message from space--the opposition to and concerns about the machine; the financial and political struggle involved in shouldering such a massive project; how such an event would change people's worldviews. I also love Ellie's arguments about religion, and musings about how different another civilization would be from us if it were millions of years ahead of us. And the ending...digging so much deeper into the possibilities that would arise from communicating with another civilization, and giving Ellie a much more satisfying and concrete answer to her lifelong questions.
And to end, a bit of a spoiler, but a detail has been nagging me (don't read ahead if you don't want to be tantalized): they said the Five brought back no evidence, but what of the sand found in the dodec? Wouldn't an isotopic analysis show that it was not from Earth? I kept waiting for that to resolve all of their problems, but no.
And to end, a bit of a spoiler, but a detail has been nagging me (don't read ahead if you don't want to be tantalized): they said the Five brought back no evidence, but what of the sand found in the dodec? Wouldn't an isotopic analysis show that it was not from Earth? I kept waiting for that to resolve all of their problems, but no.
The idea and setting are amazing, when it comes to that, classic sci-fi takes the cake. But I did find the prose to be a tad boring
So weird that Sagan created a creator for our universe. Did anyone else feel a bit of a distant call from Douglas Adams with the message hidden in pi? All I could think, while the caretaker explained about the hidden sequence of 1s and 0s was the message from the gods in "So long and thanks for all the fish":
"We apologise for the inconvenience"
I think I feel good about this...
"We apologise for the inconvenience"
I think I feel good about this...
adventurous
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I loved the idea of this book, and I enjoyed getting to know the characters and feel the awe and excitement they felt throughout the story. However, I feel like it could have given me just a little more, as a reader. I would’ve liked to have more context, more explanations and backstories, for some of the chapters.