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Cosmos was described to me as "the atheist's Bible." Although it was very different from what I anticipated on that basis, this remains an accurate description of it. I expected the emphasis to be on atheism -- proofs against God, declamations against organized religion, and so on. Naturally there's a bit of this, though it's more directed at Platonism than at religion. Surprisingly, however, I would say that the emphasis is actually on "Bible", as Cosmos is not only itself a text that is written in something like religious ecstasy, but it situates itself amidst numerous religious traditions -- in particular creation myths, which it quotes extensively -- that most closely correspond with our current understanding of the universe.
This is not to say that it is unscientific, but rather that it has all the devout fervour of a religious text, in awe of the universe, which even within the text is often equated with the God(s) of various religions. It is filled with absolutely tantalizing ideas, so many and so diverse that it's easy to rattle off a handful and barely scratch the surface: That the Socratics (especially Plato), with their dualism and its consequent effects on Christianity through Neo-Platonism, did untold damage to technological progress. That had the Ionians remained in power, we might already be an interstellar race. That physical affection as a child and sexual activity as a teenager massively deter violence in later life. That the human race will never travel to the stars as long as its population continues to grow. That wars have patterns like the weather that can be predicted on a global scale. That our brains contain evolutionary relics from our piscine, reptilian, and mammalian ancestors which are at best in an uneasy truce. That microorganisms surviving in extreme conditions on earth may make extraterrestrial life possible even within our solar system.
All these ideas are tangents from the central focus of the book, which is a textual exploration of the cosmos. But to describe this as a book about astronomy is to ignore its gorgeous and thrilling literary aspects, the anthropological and historical heights to which it soars, and the inspiring thirst for knowledge that pervades it. It is a book about the distant past and the distant future of the human race; it is a rumination on our place in a vast (and vastly unknown) universe. It offers only a casual introduction to astrophysics, but it is a fascinating exposition of the universe from the mind of a man whose knowledge and curiosity are nonpareil.
The only reason I subtract a star is because I felt that Sagan devotes too much of the work to rather dated Cold War fears. Not that the threat has been neutralized, but I personally have read enough about mutually assured destruction. My view is that paralysing fear about a nuclear winter downplays the resilience of the human race, is slightly contradictory if we're to take seriously his views on population control, and is ultimately irrelevant from a cosmic perspective. However, I imagine for most people this won't detract from Sagan's absorbing and even spellbinding collection of thoughts, and I highly recommend this book to anyone with curiosity about humanity's place in the universe.
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