Absolutely loved this! What a weird and wonderful book!

I read an eARC of this on NetGalley so thank you to the author and the publisher. This was my fourth book by John Scalzi and I’ve loved them all! This was so wildly entertaining.

This book explores what would happen if the moon turned to cheese. We see the experiences of a number of different characters and how they cope with and experience this strange phenomenon, some are writers, journalists and scientists and astronauts, some are people for whom this weird event forces them to make change in their lives. Throughout we see an undercurrent of social commentary around hypocrisy and the callousness of the megarich, often to ridiculous proportions. The way some people react to what’s happening was so ludicrous at times, and then for others it was wholesome with people seizing their dreams or opportunities. A really lovely blend of humour and observation.

This book was funny, it was fascinating and I was completely riveted throughout. I’ve told so many people about this book since I read it and I can’t wait for it to come out so they can read it too!

Thanks to Netgalley and Pan Macmillan for an ARC of this novel!

So, it's no secret I'm a Scalzi fan, but when I heard the premise of this latest novel, I had my doubts. The premise is literally 'The moon has turned into cheese'.

If you've ever read Randall Monroe's What If books, this kind of thing will be familiar to you - they take absurd science questions like 'What if the universe filled with soup' and answer them in a serious, scientific way over a couple of pages. This novel is that, but spun out over an entire book!

There's an ongoing narrative of the 'science' of what would happen, but each chapter really is a slice of life of someone living through it (Politicians, scientists, astronauts, cheese-shop owners etc).

And, somehow, John Scalzi has pulled it off again - this is actually brilliant! Each chapter is like it's own short story, and you don't want them to end!!

I can't actually recommend this enough!

This is, by far, the cheesiest cheese-fest of a sci-fi novel you'll ever read. Scalzi has outdone himself and should wear the heavy but much-coveted crown of cheese with pride!

However, having said all that, this is a novel that goes beyond surface whimsy. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll swear and try to shake sense into the book, and you'll hug the book close like a re-found best friend.

This novel is a supposition of what would happen if the Moon suddenly turned to cheese.

Told from multiple points of view and revealing how this strange news unravels and changes life on Earth as we know it, each chapter represents a day in the lunar month.

From the U.S. President, NASA, astronauts, worldwide scientists, not-so-regular people in cafés, and the everyday variety of people... each voice shares a glimpse into the impact that such cheese-wielding news brings.

This is a wonderful read, and I can't recommend it enough to any sci-fi lover with feelings or a sense of humour.


*I received an advance reader copy for free, and I'm voluntarily leaving a review*