This book seemed awkward at first, with its structure of lectures ranging from rambles with dim connections to Sagan through to near-hagiography barely sullied by informative content. Fortunately, these proved to be the extremes. It was saved by the range of provocative ideas, both current and historical, which emerge from the authors and implicitly from Sagan himself. Sagan's own talk in the book with a Q&A session recorded, displays both the kindliness and scientific curiousity of his public persona and the clean efficiency with which he deals with fuzzy thinking in a scientific arena. I think one of his directly-authored books is a better introduction to science and to his thinking but if you have read some of those and want to learn more about his range of thought, this book is worth the time.

Written in memory of Carl Sagan, this book is edited by his Chairman at Cornell, Dr. Yervant Terzian. It includes short articles by numerous authors, and shows the breadth of Sagan's interests. It also includes some of Carl Sagan's very last work.

For others who have read _Cosmos_, it is an update on Sagan's views about humanity, life and death. If you liked _Cosmos_, you will probably find this book interesting, as well.