PALE BLUE DOT A Vision of the Human Future in Space

Ann Druyan reads her late husband's 1994 popular-science classic with the same optimism and sharp ear for scientific detail that he was known for. It was obviously a labor of love for Druyan to contribute to the audiobook, which explores an array of fascinating topics in the field of astrophysics. Still, it's an absolute revelation to hear how familiar, intelligent, and reassuring Sagan himself sounds as he voices the first few chapters of the audiobook before he succumbed to cancer at the age of 62 in 1996. His low, relaxed voice and tone of amazement still sound familiar after all these years. The cosmos is very big entity, but Sagan always makes it sound a little bit smaller--and a lot more understandable. B.P. © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine [Published: SEPTEMBER 2017]