Alrightreads: authors S—Z. How I've grown. I was so inspired by this short tale when I read it in school that I set about plagiarising my own version, identical word for word but naturally with the character's name changed to 'David' despite me having no aptitude for science , but lost interest after a couple of pages. The golden canopy aesthetic showed up in 'Doctor Disguise's Time Machine' shortly after.
Sagan's pop science debut lacks some of the poetic oration of his later cosmic sermons, but it's still an inspiring and humbling collection of bite-sized astronomy, informed speculations, over-optimistic predictions and justified grievances.
The usual Sagan summary, padded out with blurry black-and-white space pics, Diane Ackerman's space poems, vaguely relevant classical quotes and New Yorker funnies. A fun retro curio, but get one of his proper books. Nearly 40 years on, you wouldn't read this for its analysis of dated research, speculations that have presumably been long since proved or disproved, or its comparisons of brain power to obsolete computers. You'd read it because you're correctly infatuated by Carl Sagan.
Since he's stepping outside of his comfort zone this time, this lacks the authority of his space stuff, but it doesn't lack any of the euphoric enthusiasm. It's the least essential of his books after the space stuff and Broca's Brain , but I'd rather have Carl Sagan romantically theorising about brain evolution than getting the cold facts from someone who's actually qualified. Inspiring and mostly interesting accounts from the astrophysicists, artists and historians who put a great deal of thought into creating the ultimate time capsule of Planet Earth.
Alien interception may be astronomically improbable, but the grand display of optimism and unity didn't hurt a bit, with a hilarious bureaucratic sub-plot where aliens aren't allowed to hear The Beatles or see full frontal nudity but will at least be helpfully informed about the full complement of the US Senate circa I hope they find that funny too. Pity us. No one does philosophical science better than Sagan.
