Contact vs The Voyage of the Space Beagle: Which Should You Read?

Both live on shelves: Human-alien encounters, Interplanetary voyages, Extraterrestrial beings, Life on other planets, Science Fiction, Fiction

Cover of Contact

Contact Carl Sagan · 1985 ★★★★☆ 4.1 432 pages · ≈ 8 h 00 m · Moderate Find on Amazon

vs

Cover of The Voyage of the Space Beagle

The Voyage of the Space Beagle A. E. van Vogt · 1950 ★★★★☆ 4.2 192 pages · ≈ 3 h 33 m · Moderate Find on Amazon

The verdict

Ratings are close: 4.1 vs 4.2 — either is a safe pick by score.
The Voyage of the Space Beagle is the quicker read — about 3 hours vs 8 for Contact.

Side by side