When the Moon Hits Your Eye by John Scalzi is a quirky story about what would happen if the moon suddenly turned into cheese. There are alternating chapters from the White House, NASA, and a fascinating cast of characters. There's a little science, a little politics, and a lot of entertainment. I really enjoy Scalzi's books. I read Starter Villain, which I thoroughly enjoyed, and I also liked this one a lot too. The author's creativity, quirkiness, and intelligence really shine through in his writing. Thanks to NetGalley for the free digital review copy. All opinions are my own.

I love Scalzi's writing, his stories are always so interesting. Unfortunately, this one did not hit the right notes for me. I had a lot of trouble because of the way the story follows so many different characters and settings. I had trouble really following the story. I did enjoy the idea of the moon turning to cheese and the scientific side of the moon being bigger and also because of the heat, the volcanic eruptions coming from it. There were definitely interesting bits included.

In this novel, one day the moon suddenly is replaced by an object of the same mass that is an organic substance which sure seems to be a giant ball of cheese (even moon rocks on Earth!) Each chapter thereafter represents a different character in a day of the lunar cycle, from scientists to astronauts to politicians to business people to an array of ordinary folks.

I have read and enjoyed six of John Scalzi’s previous books, so sorry to say this one just didn’t do it for me. Some chapters were quite good, but because generally each character is a one and done (or at least not seen for 20 or so chapters), it didn’t really all hang together as a novel. Plus, sometimes the satire just felt a little too broad, and while I can suspend disbelief for all kinds of science fiction, this just felt too unrealistic. I’ll still read more of Scalzi in the future though.

The link below contains my spoiler free review thoughts on this book. If you have any questions feel free to contact me at my email in my profile.

https://youtu.be/AqV33-oFRQo

An exciting look at scientific development and exploration of how people react to unexplainable events. Great read!

I enjoyed the his other books, Starter Villain, so I knew this was going to be a good one. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for gifting me this arc.

If I used a more nuanced review scale, this would probably fall slightly below 4 stars - maybe 3.75? Alas, I do not, so 4 stars it is.

This novel really highlights Scalzi’s masterful writing ability. Each chapter is a short story featuring different characters dealing with the absurd experience of living in a world where the moon can spontaneously turn to cheese. Some chapters actually brought me to tears with the tangible emotion the author was able to create.

My main qualm with this book:
The RELENTLESS quippiness was almost too much. The story was “quip quip quip quip POIGNANT quip quip quip quip quip quip quip ASTUTE POLITICAL COMMENTARY quip quip quip…” for 300 pages. While there were some moments that were genuinely heartfelt, it just got to be a bit exhausting. I think I could have handled this pace better if it was a shorter novel or novella.

The moon has become what we always thought it was and now what?!? It’s the journey this book takes you on that is one of the reasons this author is one of my favorite authors to read and enjoy. I can’t wait to see what comes next.

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

3.5 rounded up

Another fun book by John Scalzi. He is an author I will always recommend and read especially to people who are scared to try scifi books.

This book wasn't my favorite by him but I still had a good time. Since each chapter followed a different person, it was a bit hard to care about any of the characters but the fast pace and story helped keep me entertained.

I’ve been reading Scalzi for a long time and I’ve absolutely loved the more fun focused books he’s put out in the last few years. This one was probably the most unexpected one of them all. I had a lot of fun reading this one. The premise of the moon turning into cheese randomly might seem like a goofy writing prompt (even though moon being made out of cheese as a saying has been around for centuries). I really did love how Scalzi ran with it though. If you’re looking for realistic science in this sci-fi, you would be disappointed. Instead it’s a very good examination of society’s reactions to such an event mixed with all types of humor. It’s told through vignettes focusing on different people (some more with a recurring role than others) and at different points of time. Given the very absurd timeline we’re currently in, reading this was cathartic. Scalzi has been very cognizant of politics and how social media reacts to the world which made this crazy scenario feel very real.

Oh this was so goofy, but in a good way? And it could have been too goofy, too out there because well, the moon is cheese, friends. The moon is cheese. The thing is, the characters acknowledge how absolutely batshit this is, and how little sense it makes, and they are as befuddled as we the reader are. That makes it so much more palatable. Also, it was far more heartfelt than I'd expected, too. Good surprise, that.

It's told in a vignette style, popping into the lives of folks who are dealing with the moon-cheese aftermath. From random civilians to astronauts to world leaders to feuding cheese shop owning brothers, we encounter so many folks who are dealing with the fallout- because honestly who isn't dealing with the fallout of the world as they knew it potentially falling apart? And the ending was kind of perfect, tbh. I didn't see things working out the way they did, but man, I loved it. Pacing was a little slow at times, but it was very much worth the journey!

Bottom Line: Who knew that the cheese moon could bring so many cool stories, once you go ahead and suspend your disbelief.

WHEN THE MOON HITS YOUR EYE is a wacky, humorous yet introspective sci-fi novel that takes a very silly premise and turns it into a story about the complexity of humanity. One day, scientists around the world wake up to the shocking revelation that the moon has turned to cheese (or something that very closely resembles it). At first no one knows how to respond - it's a scientific impossibility, it must be some kind of miracle or apocalyptic curse, or else it's simply a lie.

As the days and months progress, the cheese moon becomes more than just an oddity, and it becomes clear that it may mean the end of the world. Suddenly life with a cheese moon isn't a laughing matter.

This book was hilarious at times, and deeply emotional at others. Scalzi manages to hit on some pretty tough ideas, especially when the end of life itself is looming in the not-too-distant future. It made for an interesting glimpse into the many different reactions that people might have to massive changes and potential endings. We saw many different characters (most repeating), in a sort of vignette style that showed perspectives from across the country, at all stages of life, and in many different professional settings. There's something for everyone here. The ending lost me a little bit, but the book as a whole was a delight.

I highly recommend this book for any fans of Scalzi's recent work, as well as for fans of PROJECT HAIL MARY.

This book is simultaneously exactly what you'd think it would be and not at all what you're expecting... while I acknowledged from the start that the premise was odd, I did not expect to actually feel emotions! Laughing? Sure. Crying? WTH?

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

You know the curse of the monkey paw? Highly recommend the subreddit for some fun reading. But anyways, you make a wish with the monkey paw and then while the wish is granted, it takes the wish VERY literally and will lead to unforeseen consequences.
So that's this book. Someone wished that the moon was made of cheese, and this book takes you through the lives of people across the US, who now have to live with a moon made of cheese. And it's a fun ride.
Scalzi's character dialogue is always so spot on. It flows so well that I usually feel as if I am there with the characters listening to them. I also really enjoyed how he wrote this. From the perspective of so many different characters, across different beliefs and ideas.
Each chapter was a joy to read. Especially the later ones, where they realize they might not have much time left on Earth. It was also a cool though experiment that I now ponder daily. What if I did know I only had a certain amount of time left?

I have enjoyed all three of Scalzi's recently published works and will forever be thinking of them and the absurd scenarios that take place.

I am not the biggest fan of the ending though unfortunately. It felt too abrupt, but I also know why he did it.

A bestselling New York Times novelist, John Scalzi specializes in taking weird conceits and putting them at the heart of SF novels: space armies staffed by the geriatric? Old Man’s War series, check; dinosaur preservation in an alt-Earth? The Kaiju Preservation Society, check; underworld business conspiracy run by cats? Starter Villain, check. But Scalzi has taken it a step further with his new novel, When The Moon Hits Your Eye.

https://bookandfilmglobe.com/uncategorized/john-scalzi-misses-his-moon-shot/

Giving this 2.5 stars.

When The Moon Hits Your Eyes by John Scalzi is a science fiction novel about the moon turning into cheese.

The plot sounds really interesting, enough so that it drew me in and led me to request this on Netgalley. That and I also really wanted to give John Scalzi another chance, thinking maybe I just didn’t enjoy Kaiju Preservation Society for the simple fact that it feels like a story that’s been overused. Nothing about it felt like something I hadn’t already seen in a show or movie, but a book about the moon turning to cheese?, how could I say no to that.

The book is split up into chapters, each representing a day in the lunar cycle. The story is told through multiple vignette POV’s, all from different characters in different parts of the United States, and their reactions to the moon randomly turning to cheese. There are so many characters in this story that none of them really make a lasting impact, except for the billionaire. It was very hard to get through all the dialogue while reading this one, I don’t mind humor but the cheese puns felt a bit excessive at times. The story examines how different individuals react to a sudden change and the potential end of the world.

In the end everyone’s fears are for naught, because things just kinda go back to normal. The ending was very ambiguous, and I wasn’t a huge fan of the format in which the book is written. With a plot about the moon turning to cheese, the ending just feels very anticlimactic to me. Thank you to Netgalley and Tor for an arc in return for a honest review.

I found this to be a fun, irreverent romp with just enough science to keep me satisfied given the fantastical plot. I was a little disappointed in the reference to a President that didn't read intelligence briefings (Mr. Scalzi could have simply made him an English major to make him less scientifically illiterate). I had a ton of fun just telling people about what I was reading - it gave people a lot of laughs on its own, and they may pick up the title when it's published.

There aren't many authors I would trust to execute on such an outlandish premise, but I appreciate the way Scalzi examined a wide swathe of human responses to the moon's transformation and also pulled off a ticking clock situation with a satisfactory resolution.

Our tale opens in Wapakoneta, Ohio - home of the Armstrong Air and Space Museum where the museum director just learned that something had happened to their moon rock. It had turned to cheese. And so had the Moon in the sky. Over the next thirty plus chapters John Scalzi explores human reactions to this unexplainable event and its implications for science, religion, and especially human relations. There are a few folks who show up in multiple chapters, but mainly this is a mosaic of different individuals. One of my favorite chapters involved a movie studio executive having to sit and listen to the movie pitches by screenwriters which are mainly all about the moon and cheese. I can picture John Scalizi giggling and laughing as he was writing various scenes (I know I did a bit of laughing myself while reading them), but John also writes well about human interactions and how stress and horrible situations can bring out the best or worst in people. In the end, this book is more about people being people than science fiction. A good read indeed!

Thanks Netgalley and Tor for the chance to read this title!

This one was super fun and I'm so glad I managed to read it early. Full of pithy humour, fantastic puns, a little bit of heart and an all around great narrative, this one is headed for the top of my favourite reads list