I actually really enjoyed this read! Writing was great. Story was great. I just found myself bored in some parts

John Scalzi’s When the Moon Hits Your Eye (hard from Tor) has the premise that suddenly the moon, and moon rocks, turn to cheese. At first the consequences are whimsical as billionaires compete to steal a moon rock and eat the cheese. Then another billionaire, whose company makes a moon lander, goes on a trip to the moon. However the consequences of lunar cheese soon become apocalyptic as the whole Earth is in danger. I guessed the ending, but was still enthralled by the tale. Recommended.

Scalzi’s one offs are always great fun. It’s a great way to explore fun and innovated concepts. How would we respond if the moon surely turned to cheese. The first thing the author explores is its physical effects. I’m order for the moon to remain the same mass, it would have to get larger. And all the cheese puns, but who am I to diss that Brie

This multi-faceted and mildly amusing scifi novel looks at what happens when the moon suddenly turns to cheese through the perspective of many different characters.

On Day One, a curator discovers that the lunar rock sample in the museum has changed into something that looks like cheese. Over the next twenty-eight days of a lunar cycle, this straight-faced premise becomes slightly more fleshed out. The moon retains its same mass but becomes bigger as cheese has a different mass to rock and the pressure on the cheese causes it to compress. Pieces fly off the surface, including one chunk the size of a mountain that is heading to earth and will destroy life on the planet in two years.

Moving from the White House to church to a local diner, the many sides of this earth-shattering (if you will) news are examined. A few characters appear twice, but the majority make one appearance then drift off into the unknown. This lack of a central character made it harder for me to engage as the vignettes read like a series of only tangentially-related short stories. The author digs into some thought-provoking angles, some more predictable than others: religion, banking, creativity, and truth, are just a few examples.

This is a quick and agreeable read from an author who’s reliably interesting.

Thanks to Tor and Netgalley for the digital review copy.

Like so many books by John Scalzi, this one was delightful and surprisingly human. *for a book about the moon turning to cheese*

Yes, the premise is absurd - what if the moon turned to cheese? But Scalzi makes it work! Full of commentary on our current world and the US political system, I really enjoyed this one. Each chapter follows a different POV as we look at how people from all walks of life would react to the reality of the lunar disaster. We see a preacher with his faith tested, scientists who cannot explain what is happening, and follow a billionaire who cannot allow the moon being cheese to interrupt his plans for space exploration.

Very enjoyable as always!

In the end notes of When the Moon Hits Your Eye, John Scalzi states that this novel is the third in a trilogy of novels based on theme: ordinary people being thrust into extraordinary situations. The first two in the trilogy The Kaiju Preservation Society and Starter Villain are both excellent stories that explore different aspects of this idea. I did not start this novel with this in mind. I started it because it is the new John Scalzi book. I cracked the book only knowing the simplest part of the premise: The moon has turned into cheese.

The novel does not read as a novel as much as a collection of stories around the reactions of the moon just one day turning into cheese (well a cheese like substance. NASA will not commit to calling it cheese). With each chapter being a day in the lunar cycle, it shows this singular event through the eyes of people all over America, from NASA scientists and astronauts, to politicians and billionaires, to regular people like preachers and Reddit users who do know know whether or not this is a hoax. The novel starts without much direction, but halfway through, an event on the cheese moon brings an impending doom to Earth. From this point forward, the people in Scalzi's novel change their focus. We spend every new chapter and every day with characters who are living with the knowledge that their imminent death is coming. Their actions and reactions become more humane, more focused on coming together to show that friends, family, and love are more important than all of the other things that generally distract us. There are moments in When the Moon Hits Your Eye that display honest emotions and heart. 

When I am reading or writing, I always think about two principles of the stories that I like to read and tell. The first is “No story is perfect, but it has to be told well.” The second is “Never take yourself too seriously.” John Scalzi’s novels are great examples of these two ideas. When the Moon Hits Your Eye is not a perfect novel, nor does it pretend to be. There is a chapter toward the end of the novel that actual explores this idea and says the same thing. When you try to be perfect, you pull all of the life out of the story. The second, not taking himself too seriously? He has written a novel about the moon turning into cheese and uses pretty much any cheese pun he can think of. He puts easter eggs throughout the novel (including a law firm with the names of the history of bass players in Metallica), but he does his best to balance the silliness with an actually readable and heartfelt story. When the Moon Hits Your Eye is not his best novel, and it is definitely not perfect, but it is enjoyable because it does not try to be serious at all. 

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

DNF about 50% through due to content I don’t want to read about including sexual misconduct. I was also not a fan of the harsh language throughout.

The moon has turned into cheese. We don't know what kind of cheese, but cheese it is. Within these pages we meet people from all walks of life and experience their thoughts and reactions. While the Moon Hits Your Eye is silly as hell, it is also at times poignant, hopeful, thoughtful, laughable and compelling.

Portions of the book deal with the U.S. government with some similarities to our own. Another portion goes to the billionaire space douche, and that's more similarity, ahem. There are scientists, authors and people from all over reacting. When the narrative takes a turn later on, it raises the question of what you would do in such a situation. I find that I'm still thinking about that days later.

I enjoyed the format here, bouncing around from person to person with each chapter, I think it made it feel fast-paced and kept each chapter feeling fresh. The chapters were relatively short too, so this was a quick read.

As a whole, I think this was a fun and mostly light-hearted read, with some thought provoking situations, and some laughs.

Recommended!

*ARC from publisher

Fun and quick read by an author that keeps me guessing on what his characters (and books) will be about.

However, I also feel like there were too many POVs and wish that only a few were focused on instead of a dozen plus.

I didn't love this as much as Starter Villain (I'm biased because I love union shit), but I am such a fan of John Scalzi's hilarious writing. The ability to lean into the absurd, in this situation - the moon turning into cheese, with such deadpan writing is so impressive! The multiple POVs through each story were distinct and each fun. I definitely want to read more of Scalzi's work after how much I enjoyed this and Starter Villain.

When the Moon Hits Your Eye starts with the moon turning into cheese! If you've ever wondered what might happen if something like this were to occur, then pick this up! It’s absolutely absurd and ridiculous, but so much fun. Just don’t take the science bits too seriously, as Scalzi himself mentions they’re a bit “loosey-goosey” at times. When the Moon Hits Your Eye is part of the same standalone series as Kaiju Preservation Society and Starter Villain. It’s not an interconnected world or a series following the same characters, but rather all about absurd scenarios and the shenanigans that follow.

I love how this was written. Instead of focusing on just one character, the story shifts between different perspectives, giving us glimpses into the lives of various people. From schoolkids to preachers to billionaires, it covers a wide cast of characters. Don’t get attached to any one viewpoint, though, because you won’t be seeing them for long. This structure makes it a very quick read, and since each chapter represents the next day in a lunar cycle, it feels like a countdown to what may happen next. I enjoyed imagining the different scenarios and wondering how I would react in each one. It’s very much like the thought experiment of what you’d do if the world were to end in a certain number of days.

Whether you’re a long-time Scalzi fan or looking for a wacky, fun read, pick this up! You don’t get many books as gouda as this!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Tor Books for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review.

This book poses the question - “how would we react if one day the moon suddenly turned into cheese?”

While it sounds like kind of a silly premise, this was enjoyable to read and a little unexpected! It had a unique format where each chapter peeked into a day in the lives of a different set of characters in the month after the cheese moon appeared.

It doesn’t answer the question of why or how this event happened, and I appreciated that. Those unknowns aren’t the focus. Which I guess is why to me, this didn’t really feel too heavy on the science fiction genre but rather read more like contemporary fiction. It’s really about how human beings from all different slices of life react to this earth-shattering news. College students, astronauts, retirees at a diner, NASA employees, aspiring writers, reddit users, etc. And I find it impressive when an author is able to make me care about the characters and connect with them even when they have such little page time.

Some parts are funny, some parts are heart-warming, some parts are anger-inducing. The best part is that you get to see a billionaire launch himself into space (🤞wishful thinking🤞)

And I absolutely loved the ending! Felt perfect for the times.

What would happen if the moon suddenly turned to cheese? When the Moon Hits Your Eye provides a plethora of chuckle-inducing chapters detailing the immediate response of the United States.

The earth’s scientists struggle to find an explanation for the moon’s new material. Everyone else just tries to deal with it in their own humorous ways. Hollywood is full of cheesy new moon scripts. A Senator is caught doing some unusual things with a sex worker and a cheese wheel. Billionaire tech bros fight over being the first moon cheese taster. Even small town residents have some unique issues with this unexpected phenomenon. In the meantime, NASA must deal with an off course spaceship heading for the moon with an unexpected stowaway aboard.

When the Moon Hits Your Eye is a fun way to get away from some the current chaos of the world and any drama in your own personal life. Image how the moon changing to cheese would impact your life. Then see if one of vignettes matches. It is just an enjoyable way to spend an evening or two. 4 stars!

Thanks to NetGalley and Tor Books for providing me with an advanced review copy.

Starter Villain was one of my top reads of the year and I was excited to jump into John Scalzi's latest, When The Moon Hits Your Eye. I love weird books and the premise was promising: what would happen if the moon suddenly turned into cheese? Yes, cheese! Each chapter of the book is another day in a lunar cycle and highlights how different people, from different backgrounds, react to this lunar event.

And while there are some truly stellar moments, I didn't enjoy reading the book overall. It reads like a series of essays on a topic, rather than a cohesive story, mostly because the cast of characters changes almost every chapter. You rarely revisit characters, so even if you fall in love with a character or two and their story, you may never see them again in another chapter. The cheese puns and jokes got old quickly. By 30% the novelty of the story wore off. I almost DNF but instead I gave it a break for a few days. I was able to finish but my heart was not invested in the story. I definitely found myself wanting to skim through. I didn't feel like any one chapter was essential.

The ending was a surprising choice and after so much buildup felt surprisingly abrupt. I wondered, did any of it matter? I think, yes and no. In theory, this was an avenue to look how how humanity would react and live facing certain doom. But I feel like this interesting theme could have been better explored had Scalzi chosen to focus on a handful of characters and really delved into their stories.

I landed at 3 stars because although I didn't enjoy the book as a whole, there really were moments throughout that shined.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Books for the advanced reading copy of When the Moon Hits Your Eye in exchange for an honest review.

As a huge Starter Villain fan, this was a letdown. I know they’re completely different books, but where Starter Villain was effortlessly kooky, the humour here felt heavy-handed—plus, there were about 100 cheese puns too many.

Each chapter follows a different character dealing with the moon turning to cheese, which is an ambitious and interesting premise. But with so many perspectives, there wasn’t much time to connect with anyone. The characters felt one-note, and the plot barely developed.

By the end, it was a bit of a slog to finish and ultimately forgettable. I’m not sad I read it—just disappointed.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Tor Books for gifting me a digital ARC of this wonderful book by John Scalzi. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 5 stars!

The moon has turned into cheese. Now humanity has to deal with it. Just how's that going to work? Do you question your faith in God, in science, in everything you thought you knew?

I love John Scalzi. In the same vein as The Kaiju Preservation Society and Starter Villain (both 5 star reads for me), these books explore humanity when faced with the unthinkable. They are funny, thought-provoking, sci-fi light books and his latest is my favorite, I think. I loved how it explored reactions from different people from all walks of life in almost a connected short story style, as we followed scholars, pastors, students, writers, government officials, and those billionaires who want to go to space. This was perfection!

What if the moon suddenly turned to cheese? That's the basic premise of John Scalzi's When the Moon Hits Your Eye. Taking a slightly different approach than most stories, When the Moon Hits Your Eye is told via the perspectives and experiences of a variety of people as the world attempts to understand why the moon is suddenly cheese. Often humorous, a bit serious, and occasionally emotional, When The Moon Hits Your Eye is another great satirical read by John Scalzi. Having perspectives ranging from Billionaires to school kids to cheese shop owners, there's definitely a perspective that every reader will be able to relate to. Filled with vaguely absurd humor and wit and a unique take on humanity's response to a radical and bizarre event, When The Moon Hits Your Eye is a fantastic read that many will enjoy. Thank you to Tor and Netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

John Scalzi’s When the Moon Hits Your Eye is a humorous and satirical take on classic science fiction tropes, infused with the author’s signature wit and accessible prose. However, while the book offers moments of cleverness and amusement, it ultimately falls short in terms of depth, originality, and narrative engagement.

Strengths:
Sharp Humor and Satire – Scalzi’s hallmark snappy dialogue and irreverent humor shine throughout the novel. His ability to poke fun at the absurdity of space travel, bureaucracy, and human nature keeps the story lively and entertaining.

Fast-Paced and Accessible – The book is easy to read, with a breezy style that makes it an enjoyable page-turner. Scalzi’s knack for keeping the reader engaged with quick-witted banter and brisk pacing is evident.

Engaging Characters – The protagonist and supporting cast are likable, if somewhat familiar, and their interactions provide much of the novel’s charm.

Weaknesses:
Lack of Originality – While Scalzi is known for riffing on classic sci-fi tropes, When the Moon Hits Your Eye feels overly reliant on familiar elements without significantly subverting or reinventing them. The story at times reads like a pastiche rather than a fresh take on the genre.

Shallow World-Building – Unlike some of Scalzi’s more intricate settings (Old Man’s War, The Collapsing Empire), this book’s universe feels underdeveloped. The backdrop, while functional for the plot, lacks the immersive detail that would make it stand out.

Predictable Plot – The narrative, though amusing, follows a fairly standard trajectory without many surprises. Readers familiar with Scalzi’s work (or comedic sci-fi in general) may find the twists easy to anticipate.

Conclusion:
When the Moon Hits Your Eye is an enjoyable, lighthearted read that will appeal to fans of Scalzi’s humor and fast-paced storytelling. However, its lack of narrative depth and over-reliance on well-worn sci-fi tropes make it a less memorable entry in his bibliography. It’s a fun diversion but unlikely to leave a lasting impact on the genre.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for a review.

As with most books I pick up, I started this one just knowing the bare facts - that the moon turns into cheese (or organic matrix, as NASA would prefer it referred to). I found this book to be utterly delightful and funny, yet thought provoking at the same time. It wasn't until Day 26 when I realized that he was going by days (no, I didn't read the chapter headings), and I like towards the end that the characters really started thinking about how they would spend their last days. That got me thinking, too. I loved all the vignettes, and there were some that were just so laugh-out-loud hilarious and memorable (like the billionaires who were fighting over who got to eat the moon cheese first and old guys in the diner in Midwest America). I also like the obvious caricatures of well-known people. Just so fun.

Note to the publishers: In his afterword, Scalzi mentioned that he would love to put this book, <em>The Kaiju Preservation Society</em> and <em>Starter Villian</em> in a collector's edition box set. Yes, thank you, do it, please! I will give you ALL THE MONEY for that! I don't purchase a lot of books, but I would with that.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Tor for providing a digital arc in exchange for an honest review.

In many ways, When the Moon Hits Your Eye is the kind of breezy science fiction satire we’ve come to expect from John Scalzi, author of Starter Villain and The Kaiju Preservation Society. Its absurd premise is certainly in keeping with those books: the moon has turned into cheese. Now what?

Yet I found myself both surprised and delighted by John Scalzi’s approach to the material. Rather than telling a single cohesive narrative, he structures the book as a mosaic of interconnected (though often completely independent) stories. Each chapter marks a succeeding day in the event (“Day One,” “Day Two,” etc.), but the focus isn’t on a singular plot. Instead, Scalzi explores the many ways people might react to such an inexplicably bizarre event. It’s almost best to approach When the Moon Hits Your Eye as a collection of short stories orbiting a hilariously dumb central premise.

Scalzi wisely opens the book with perspectives from the scientific community and key government figures, efficiently setting the stage while delivering exposition in an often hilarious way. He has fun juxtaposing characters grappling with existential dread against no-nonsense officials who skip straight to problem-solving. These early chapters reminded me of Dr. Strangelove or: How I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love the Bomb, and that’s about the highest compliment I can give.

Once the groundwork is laid, the novel bounces between perspectives that rarely repeat. Some characters and narratives intertwine, while others stand alone. What’s clear, however, is Scalzi isn’t interested in telling a story about an Armageddon and our heroic efforts to understand and prevent catastrophe. Instead, he’s interested in the ways people, industries, and institutions react to uncertainty. How might Hollywood capitalize on the situation? How would religious leaders reinterpret the event? How would their congregations respond? How do personal relationships shift under the weight of the unknown? For a book built on such a ridiculous premise, When the Moon Hits Your Eye feels surprisingly well-researched and insightful, offering perspectives and concepts I didn’t expect.

Among the many stories, two stood out as my favorites: the drama surrounding rival cheese shops in Wisconsin and a brilliantly absurd retelling of a disastrous Saturday Night Live taping that is as funny as it is perceptive.
While I didn’t laugh as uproariously as I did while listening to Wil Wheaton’s fantastic narration of Starter Villain, I still found myself smiling and chuckling throughout. The book doesn’t quite stick the landing. The final chapters didn’t resonate as strongly for me—save for a couple of genuinely touching moments—and I couldn’t help but wish Scalzi pushed the emotional envelope even more as he hints at going for something more profound before opting for whimsy.

Still, When the Moon Hits Your Eye delivers exactly what it promises: a light, clever, and thoroughly entertaining read. If you go in knowing what to expect, you’ll likely enjoy it as much as I did.