The listeners

by

275 pages

English language

Published June 15, 1972 by Scribner.

ISBN:
978-0-684-13013-2
Copied ISBN!
OCLC Number:
533489

View on OpenLibrary

3 stars (1 review)

After fifty-one long years of patient waiting, the message has finally arrived. They have dedicated their lives to trying to decipher the eerie silence that resounds from space and now there is finally a sound after decades of quiet. In the beginning there is a hail of celebration, the Project has finally produced results, but then the questions begin. What does the message mean? Could it be 'we come in peace' or 'get ready for world domination'? The message's intended meaning baffles Earth. Only one man has the power to make that decision and it could mean intergalactic warfare if he makes the wrong choice. Director MacDonald holds the fate of Earth, the universe and the project dedicated to answering the questions that have plagued humanity for centuries in his hands. Will he make the correct choice?

5 editions

reviewed The Listeners by James E. Gunn

Review of 'The Listeners' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

This book was written in the 70s but set in 2025 and beyond. It imagines the outcome of an effort like SETI: decades of result-less searching, then finally an answer, and the effects that ensue. The book is divided into several separate sections, each told from a different character's perspective and each at a later date so that the story of many decades can be covered.

It's a fascinating and very realistic look at a very real topic. However, I did find the writing style a bit dry and was far more interested in the overall story than most of the individual characters' struggles.

Subjects

  • Life on other planets -- Fiction.