Listen free for 30 days

  • Contact

  • Written by: Carl Sagan
  • Narrated by: Laurel Lefkow
  • Length: 14 hrs and 45 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (143 ratings)

Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo + applicable taxes after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
Contact cover art

Contact

Written by: Carl Sagan
Narrated by: Laurel Lefkow
Try for $0.00

$14.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $28.36

Buy Now for $28.36

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Tax where applicable.

Publisher's Summary

The future is here...in an adventure of cosmic dimension. In December, 1999, a multinational team journeys out to the stars, to the most awesome encounter in human history. Who - or what - is out there? In Cosmos, Carl Sagan explained the universe. In Contact, he predicts its future - and our own.

©1997 Carl Sagan (P)1997 Simon & Schuster

What the critics say

"Contact deals with issues...worth pondering. The range and depth of ideas is quite uncommon." ( New York Times Book Review)

"Like a good mystery, Contact keeps us curious to the end...ingenious and satisfying." (Newsweek)

What listeners say about Contact

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    110
  • 4 Stars
    22
  • 3 Stars
    6
  • 2 Stars
    3
  • 1 Stars
    2
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    97
  • 4 Stars
    26
  • 3 Stars
    5
  • 2 Stars
    3
  • 1 Stars
    1
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    95
  • 4 Stars
    24
  • 3 Stars
    9
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    2

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

dubbed corrections distracting

The story, of course, is outstanding. The timbre of the reader's choice is quite pleasant and matches the time of the story well. The mispronunciations and overdubs are distracting and take away from the overall quality of the listening experience.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Contact -Carl Sagan

The narration is beautifully done with a variety of accents to emphasize the different characters.

The amount of science specific nformation Carl Sagan is able to fit into his chapters is extremely well done. Many times it felt like reading passages from Cosmos or Pale Blue Dot. Coupled with a truly unique telling of the worlds first contact with intelligent life, I felt Carl dreamed himself the center of the entire story, replacing himself as an intelligent female character that educates individuals in stride while working to answer particularly hard answer. This telling was brilliantly done, and appeals to both educates of advanced science literature and those of lesser knowledge of such advanced topics.

Having watched the movie before the book, I felt I was listening to an entirely new take on the story. Many changes were noted from the film, but as always, the book blows the movie away.

An incredible story, this can not emphasize that enough.

Thank you Carl.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Still great after all these years

I bought the book in paperback form when it first came out. Then the movie came along and was relatively disappointed at the changes and omissions. This audio book allowed me to enjoy the story again. I had to dig up my book from my dusty library to compare and verify that this was a word-for-word faithful representation and telling of the original. If you watched the movie but did not read the book, I suggest you either get hold of an actual copy or download this audio book. You will not be disappointed !

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Awesome and inspiring!

I loved reading this book. It made a deep impression on me. If you loved the movie then you must read the book.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

awesome intelligent science fiction

Loved it. was intelligent and thought promoting.Carl Sagan was one of the greatest thinkers of our time. he wrote a very posable story.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Drops of Brilliance on a Boring Canvace

The story overall had lots of potential. Great idea. Great points of story telling. The backdrop was boring as f. Non stop rambling. Pointless text when more character building could have take place… and her mom sure is a peach…

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

The film is great. The book is excellent.

Love the film. Book is even better. Narrator was awesome but mispronounces a lot of words.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

way better than expected

after seeing the film several times over the years I was expecting a good story. I was not disappointed. as is so often the case, the book has much more detail and a lot more scientific content. I highly recommend this audiobook. it is beautifully narrated and hard to put down.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Cannot go wrong.

Carl Sagan's words, Laurel Lefkow's voice, and your imagination... together it was more than one could want from a story already magnificent.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!