Contact

My dear fellow literary wanderers…I know I owe you all an apology for taking so long to write another entry. It’s not that I haven’t been reading but rather life got in the way once again. But things might start to settle down soon…after I settle into my new job that is. I have a steady job now, I am in the process of truly becoming a full time writer, and things are finally starting to fall into place. Hopefully this means I will have far more time for reading.

Anyway, this entry will be about Contact by Carl Sagan. Now, this would not have been my usual first book of choice. It probably would have been one that I left until the end and dreaded reading it. It’s not that I don’t enjoy science fiction but it is not usually my first choice for reading material either. However, I recently started a book club and that is the book that everyone voted on. So, I sucked it up and read it. And I will admit, I was pleasantly surprised. 

So, I am not a science person, for the most part, and this book is filled with facts and theories about physics and astronomy, something I have no experience with. But Sagan did a wonderful job of explaining everything in the book so that everyone could understand it. I never really felt lost at any point which was a good thing because I probably would have ended up hating the book if that was the case. And, I admit, it is one of those books that does not start out very exciting. But while the book does take awhile to get into, once you are hooked, you will not be able to put it down. 

Contact tells the story of a young scientist who receives a message from outer space telling people to build this Machine. And she learns this message is being received around the world. The book follows what happens as the nations build the Machine and what happens once it is built. But the book is less about the plot and more about the theories and ideas the book deals with. Sagan addresses not only new theories of science and extra terrestrials but touches on the connections between religion and science. I admit that parts of it were quite difficult for me to read, as a Christian, but I always appreciate reading about other points of view so I can better understand where people are coming from.

Overall, this book was great and definitely far from what I expected. The book itself is filled with scientific language and theories but, like I said, Sagan does a great job of explaining them to the people that have no physics or astronomy background, like me. I admit, the book is rather long but well worth the read. I highly recommend it to anyone, but especially those who are into science fiction.

Until next time...happy reading!