4.5/5 stars

What if the moon suddenly turned into cheese? That’s the absurd premise of John Scalzi’s latest conceptual science fiction offering When the Moon Hits Your Eye as it takes it day-by-day over the first lunar cycle following different people from all walks of life.

This book was such a delight to read. It rolls with its premise, giving it a charming and lighthearted take when it could have just as easily fallen into dark humor territory (which it gratefully didn’t because I’m not a fan of black comedy). It’s pop science meets Andy Weir and incredibly funny (I literally laughed out loud multiple times). Told one day at a time from a wide variety of characters’ perspectives, it never feels disjointed and delivers a complete story despite its scattered structure.

The book has the traditional perspectives from astronauts and scientists trying to understand what happened. Then spices it up with some topical perspectives of a megalomaniac tech billionaire determined to be the first man to step on the cheese moon and two rival billionaires with more money than sense who want to be the first to eat the moon cheese. It then brings humor and charm through a rivalry between cheese shop owners spying on each other and an author who just so happens to have published a relevant pop science novel.
The most heartfelt, most human, and sweetest to me though were the doubting pastor guiding his struggling flock (and this is coming from someone who does not like having religion in my books) and the singular sweet moment between a wanna-be writer and her husband.

One note I have though is that I wish we had gotten to see more of some characters as we don’t get back to them so we are left to imagine what comes next for them (and I am imagining all positive things). Also, the book is entirely American so lacks the global feel these types of stories usually have.

When the Moon Hits Your Eye is a ridiculous and positively riotous good time.

*Thank you to Pan Macmillan for the eARC via NetGalley.

(Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC.)

This was cheesy (ba dum tss). Literally: the moon turns to cheese. That's it. That's the book.

Honestly, good for you, John Scalzi. It's fun, and original, and the type of story that's good to read if you just need a break from reality. I'm almost tempted to call it a collection of short stories, since each chapter focuses on a different day / character / situation. And that comes with the bonus / pitfall of any collection: hate some, love some. I especially liked the chapter written like a Slack conversation, as well as the doubt / faith conversations that would result from such an unrealistic change.

An old friend from high school and I used to call this type of book "junk food." Not exactly nourishing, but sometimes exactly what you need. It would be a good beach read, if that gives you a better idea. Not something I'd necessarily recommend, but a decent enough escape.

I love John Scalzi, so I always knew I was going to enjoy this book, and I did, although perhaps not as much as I had been expecting.

I often feel like the strength of Scalzi's books is in his characters, and how much they are fleshed out and how human they feel. That is where I feel like this book was let down somewhat. Because there were so many different characters, you don't get the change to develop a sense of who of them really are.

That aside, I did enjoy this book. Jody Bannon was such an easily hateable character and there were so many lines in this book that made me actually laugh out loud. Who doesn't want a sexuality described as possibly asexual or 'just unimpressed with the local talent.'

A fun take on what would happen if the moon was made of cheese, and I really enjoyed the 'hoax' posts at the end! It's all just fake news!

I absolutely loved Starter Villain by John Scalzi which came out last year, so I was excited to read When the Moon Hits Your Eye.

When the moon suddenly and inexplicably turns into cheese, people are scared, scientists are baffled and billionaires smell an opportunity…

I hadn’t realised when I picked up When the Moon Hits Your Eye that it was in the style of vignettes – each chapter is from a different, and usually new perspective so there’s a lot of people to keep track of. Some characters turn up in other people’s points of view, so there is some crossover and they are all about the same overarching theme – how humanity deals with the cheese based catastrophe. I don’t usually like this style as I find it quite hard to get immersed in. I don’t think I’ve rated any vignette style books higher than 3 stars though, so this will definitely be an exception. I enjoyed some of the stories – the billionaire wanting to land on the moon, the fantasy writer and the hotel room scandal stories really stood out for me. Some of the other viewpoints weren’t as engaging though and as such it took me longer than usual to finish the book.

The premise of this book is delightfully silly, the author himself even mentions that the science is a little loosey-goosey, so take it with a grain of salt. At the end of the day it’s more interesting to focus on the human response – the characters we meet, the situations they are put in and it also has a lot to say on billionaires meddling in science and conspiracy theories which is very relevant at the moment! I would say if you have seen the film ‘Don’t Look Up’ – this is a very similar vibe.

Overall, When the Moon Hits Your Eye is a silly premise but engaging and fun and there is a message in there as well. Thank you to NetGalley & Pan Macmillan – Tor for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Just finished John Scalzi's latest novel (thanks Netgalley) - When the Moon Hits Your Eye and I'm a little disappointed. I'm a huge fan (favourite so far, Starter Villain!) but this satire on US society didn't do it for me. It was rather silly and I found the ending to be frustrating. The story involved more people than the population of Rhode Island, it's all plot, no character. I suspect it has so many resonances to American culture it doesn't cross the Atlantic very successfully? As a fan, I really wanted it to work. Better luck next time John!

This is gripping, insightful, and intriguing read. One day Moon turns into cheese which concerns everyone as well as intrigues them too. The book has been written well. The plot is really unique. This is definitely a plot driven book while you will like the conversation between characters and a touch of scientific research. It’s the big aspect of the story.

Thanks to the Publisher

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy. This book is about the moon turning into cheese, and it is grate (sorry not sorry, how can you not make a cheese pun in this situation???). I really loved how this book was told through the lens of short stories, allowing us not only to see those in power navigating the course of nations but also very personal individual stories. Some of the them made me laugh, and some made me want to cry. I highly recommend this book!

3.5/5, rounded up because i had a good enough time

I've only read Starter Villain from the author, and it was exactly in line with this one. A light read, decent prose, some nice moments. Thankfully the characters change every three or four chapters, which helped the book move along and not drag. I was entertained.

Why not 4 stars? I didn't laugh that much. I gave Starter Villain 4 stars because i laughed out loud several times, but that didn't happen here, i was only in a state of light amusement.

Why not 3 stars? I was amused enough that i want to give this book more than "neutral 3". I would recommend it, especially if you vibe with Scalzi's writing in general. If you gave Starter Villain 5 stars, you will probably enjoy this one a lot too.

A whimsical romp in which the moon one day, inexplicably, turns to cheese. Rather than following the implications of this in the form of a story, Scalzi instead gives us a pastiche of entertaining set pieces: how does the local church respond; how do the proprietors of competing cheese stores respond; retirees in a coffee shop; Holywood execs; popular science writers; NASA; asshole billionaires; has-been musicians; and so on. There's not really a plot, just a series of conversations. This both does and doesn't work well. I think the series of set pieces is a nice way to explore the implications of something so huge and also so silly as the conceit of this book. But also, Scalzi is not great at characterization. Or rather, he's not great at varying his characterization. Everyone speaks in the same voice; and every conversation has the same fast-paced, reasonably witty back-and-forth. When you have a smaller cast of characters, this isn't so much of a problem. But when you have a book where each chapter introduces new people in new settings with ostensibly new perspectives on the phenomenon, and they all sound exactly the same, it lampshades Scalzi's reliance on this one neat trick pretty saliently.

When The Moon Hits Your Eye is wonderfully fun and silly, and fits the bill perfectly for a light-hearted adventure (a bit of ‘popcorn sci-fi’ if you will). It isn’t the deepest story out there, but it’s a great bit of light entertainment with how seriously all the characters take the ridiculous plot. Compared to his latest books, I found Moon to be a stronger book than Starter Villain, and more on par with Kaiju Preservation Society.

A lot of creativity and exploration was wrung out of a simple concept here; what would the ramifications be if the moon turned to cheese? This is a story where the narrative jumps around every chapter, viewing the sudden lunar change from different professions and walks of life all across the United States. The perspectives of NASA astronauts and the presidential offices were all expected for me in the book, but a few others were a pleasant surprise - a brief dip into the publishing industry, and the ‘behind-the-scenes’ crisis in a faith community were inventive inclusions that kept the story feeling fresh.

Speaking of fresh, I felt that the pacing of Moon Hits Your Eye was vital to this book’s success; I don’t think it was perfectly executed, as the progression is very slow in the first third of the book, to the extent that I wondered if the book was even intending on advancing the plot! The story does move forward though after this, and loops back around to check back in on past characters. I think Scalzi does a good job of exploring the idea fully, but not overstaying its welcome.

I wouldn’t call many of the characters particularly deep or well developed, though given the story’s structure this isn’t a surprise or a particularly fair criticism. Except for a few key exceptions, most characters had a similar internal monologue and witty banter with their colleagues. I did however very much enjoy the twitter banter, so I found myself not really minding.

I’ve loved everything I’ve read by John Scalzi, but this one didn’t quite do it for me.
I loved the concept, and enjoyed his quirky way of thinking and writing. And loved the first few chapters. The moon suddenly turns to ‘an organic substance’. What’s not to love about that?
But for me this was a collection of related short stories, most with a philosophical or political angle, exploring how humanity would deal with such a (possibly apocalyptic) event. Some thought provoking, some humorous…..and some, for me, just a wee bit too wordy. The story line jumped about just a bit too much and there was very little flow.
I liked it, but didn’t love it. Definitely wouldn’t stop me reading Scalzi!

Wheee! John Scalzi is one of those few authors whose afterword is as witty and intriguing as the idea he has taken on in the book. Oh, also the extraordinary conviction he has to the idea!

What happens to the earth and it's people when suddenly the moon turns to cheese? To a world that has recently seen a black swan event like Covid, this premise seems easy enough to explore in a straight forward narrative. But then Scalzi doesn't do straight forward. How do normal people react to such an mindboggling development.

Taken over one moon cycle - it covers different people - NASA scientists, White house, church, cheese makers, chefs, crazy billionaires, production houses, authors - and tries to make sense of this change. The science is intentionally vague though logical. As the author confesses - he is ready for a 45 minute youtube rant on "why the science is wrong".

I loved the philosophical rants and the common man's sense of wonderment at a cosmic event that defies common understanding. When heliocentric theory challenged the prevailing geocentric theory, it would have been a shock to the mental models. Scalzi manages to capture that change in 30 odd chapters with a similar concept. And of course there is a hat-tip to conspiracy theorists as well.

Without giving much away, the second half of the book could have been less dramatic. I think the eclipse is a brilliant metaphor used wisely. Scalzi calls it part of a trilogy that includes Kaiju Preservation Society - a brilliant pop song of a novel! This is a bit more morose and an acknowledgement of the human condition that has gone through a "new normal" phase.

This book is to hit the stands in 2025! Thank you for the ARC copy.

Neal Stephenson's "Seveneves" is one of those massive, crushing, momentous, century-spanning and era-defining hard sci-fi novels. It starts with the immortal line "The moon blew up without warning and for no apparent reason." Classic! It dives into a world plagued with Kessler syndrome and the grimly inevitable consequences for the future of humanity.

Scalzi's latest book is cheesy homage - fromage if you will - to that giant of literature. It asks an equally important question.

What if, without warning and for no apparent reason, the moon turned into cheese?

That's it. That's the novel.

It is gloriously silly - but no less reverent to humanity. Rather than focus on one single story, the book floats around a dozen different people. We sample the plebeian to the rock-star, President to hausfrau. Everyone gets to bathe in the moonlight (cheeselight?) of the story. And what a story! As with any good slice of sci-fi, it is light on the technobabble and high on the everyday drama.

Yes, there are obvious parallels to the shared emotional trauma of Covid, but it doesn't dominate as a theme. And, of course, the fractured nature of our shared reality is likely to be the focus of most literature for the foreseeable future. Scalzi instinctively understands what makes sci-fi absurd and how to gently squeeze the humour out of it. Because sci-fi is intrinsically funny. It's about us playing a massive game of "what if" and seeing where it takes us.

The laughter is offset with just the right amount of heartbreak. The moon turning in to cheese isn't all fun and games. No one gets off scot-free, but all the villains get their just desserts. It is impossible to read without a smile on your cheeks and a lump in your throat.

As with his two most recent books - The Kaiju Preservation Society and Starter Villain - these are stand-alone novels. There's no massive trilogy to commit to reading and no prior knowledge is assumed.

If you've read Neal Stephenson, Andy Weir, and Mary Robinette Kowal, you'll probably get a little bit more out of it than the casual reader. It is fully of fun little sci-fi references and tropes, all expertly shaken out for a daft laugh.

The book is released in March 2025. Thanks to Netgalley for the review copy - the rest of you will have to pre-order.

I received an ARC of this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Scalzi loves to take a totally bizarre scenario and throw some real human characters at it to see what happens. In this case you have the moon suddenly, and without warning or explanation, turning into cheese. And as this is a global event, you don't just get one set of characters, but every chapter is based on a different Point of View. And while it would be easy to say that it was a funny book because "the moon turned to cheese - how weird is that", that would be doing injustice to the funny character writing, because at the heart of it this book is about characters.

I thoroughly enjoyed this, you can tell that it's Scalzi at work, and that's a great thing.

I'm shamelessly quoting from the Afterword and Acknowledgements of the review copy I was generously granted: this is "a book about the moon turning to cheese, [...] each chapter represent[s] a day in the lunar cycle, each chapter with mostly different characters in mostly different places in the United States, reacting to it in ways specific [to] them alone"

What more can I tell you about the book? The title of the book gave me an earworm, but not in a bad way. Each chapter is different, first of all because each chapter has it's own main character(s), who might show up in one of the other 27 chapters again; but also because the style of each chapter is different, one of the chapters is a chat-log, for example.

Kudos to Mr Scalzi for casually throwing in a historical detail from the 12th century that happened in a city near where I grew up. That's some weird pub-quiz trivia to include in a story about cheese or the moon.

If you have read Scalzi's work before, you will certainly like it. If you haven't read his work before, what are you waiting for?

I really enjoyed this, a typical book of John Scalzi's in some ways and quite different in others. The light-hearted premise is treated utterly seriously with a wide series of character accounts in some cases funny, in others touching, thought-provoking or even heartbreaking. The disaster-novel structure of the book works perfectly to carry off this treatment.

When the Moon Hits Your Eye (WTMHYE?) is a Scalzi book through and through: there’s the workmanlike, unadorned prose, a bit of superficial goofiness, and a surprising intelligence lurking behind it all.

Scalzi’s most audaciously clever move with WTMHYE is the willingness to take a very silly premise seriously, which dials into a surprisingly zeitgeist-y vein of existential absurdity. Turning the moon into cheese is an apocalypse that looks and feels like a bad joke, and that nervous tension lets Scalzi tackle questions of faith, fairness, and exactly how best to defraud rich failsons head-on without coming across as po-faced.

It’s a double-act that keeps up quite well for most of the novel, but in the end Scalzi’s reluctance to go anyplace too dark (or unprofitably audience-alienating) keeps it from really striking home, even if its epilogue is still one of the most cynical things he’s ever put to paper. WTMHYE is disarmingly hefty for something that’s ultimately still a bit disposable, and frustratingly disposable for all its hints of substance.

Another extremely entertaining and funny John Scalzi book in the category of “everyday people dealing with an extremely high-concept situation, in contemporary settings” I did not know I loved this category this much but apparently I do, if my love for “Starter Villain” and “Kaiju Preservation society” weren’t enough, let’s add “When the moon hits your eye” to the list now I guess.

I went into this book not knowing a lot about it, I trusted blindly in Scalzis creative genius and it again hit just right. Why would I need a sort of realistic representation of what humanity would do if the moon turned to cheese im not sure but apparently I did need it. It was entertaining, filled with drama, stupid billionaires and tons of separate stories into one about panicking humans.

It’s silly and incredulous but weirdly realistic which makes it all the more amazing. I really hope John Scalzi continues his not really series of totally separate “everyday people dealing with an extremely high-concept situation, in contemporary settings” standalone books because I’m having the time of my life with these.

I received an advance review copy for free and am leaving this review voluntarily.

When the Moon Hits Your Eye by John Scalzi is a delightfully whimsical romp through a world where the moon absurdly turns to cheese. Even more quirky is the response of those who inhabit the earth.

At first glance, this book might seem like a simple "what if", albeit one involving a very cheesy moon, but Scalzi quickly turns that notion on its head with his trademark humour and clever world-building. The plot is part political commentary, part cosmic oddity, part satire of America's growing dysfunction. Featuring a moon that becomes more than a glowing rock in the sky, and instead turns into an extinction-level threat. Humanity tried to navigate the challenges of a universe where the laws of physics have some, let’s say, “flexible” rules.

Scalzi’s signature witty dialogue is in full force here, with characters bantering back and forth in a way that makes you feel like you're eavesdropping on a conversation between old friends. And while there are plenty of laugh-out-loud moments, Scalzi also sneaks in some unexpectedly thoughtful moments that make the story’s plot all the more satisfying.

The pacing is quick, the humour is sharp, and the characters engaging. The plot, without giving too much away, is full of delightful surprises that only someone with Scalzi’s imagination could dream up.

In short, When the Moon Hits Your Eye is a fun, lighthearted read that’ll leave you grinning at the oddness of life, and maybe wondering if your next pizza delivery should come with extra cheese. It's a perfect pick for anyone who loves quirky plots, cosmic hijinks, or just a good old-fashioned chuckle.

So, if you’re in the mood for a book that’s as charming as it is bizarre, let Scalzi’s lunar satire sweep you off your feet

My first Scalzi's book, and what fun it was ! Weird and yet insightful, funny but also sad. The undertone of humour really helps to pull the story together, without loosing a sort of seriousness around the exploration of what could happen if the moon turned to cheese suddenly.

The way the story is build isn't something I enjoy most of the time, but Scalzi really master the structure. We follow various characters, not necessarily linked to each other except for the fact that the moon has changed. Each one of these characters is solid, grounded, their motivations and personnality shining through a single chapter. Some we care for, and feel for, other we hate. The different perspectives really help nourishing the under social commentary in a fun but strong way.

If you told me I would read and love a book about cheese, more specifically a book where the moon turns to cheese, in a contemporary setting, I might have not believed you. But I did love it, so much. Fun, well written for what it want to accomplish, witty. Great read.