Once again John Scalzi has written a book that is so goofy and ridiculous while also being heartwarming and sincere. When the Moon Hits Your Eye follows many POVs for each day of the lunar cycle after the moon suddenly turns to cheese. We get to see so many perspectives as the public deals with the shock and the uncertainty of the future. By the end I really enjoyed all the different POVs we get but to start I had a hard time getting invested in the story since there was no one person to connect with. Some characters got multiple chapters throughout the book but it felt like many short stories with a general through line of “the moon is cheese now what”.

I feel like anyone who has liked Scalzi’s last two books will really enjoy this one. It has the same humor and self awareness of how goofy the premise is. I also highly recommend reading the authors note at the end of any of his books it always gives interesting insight into how this weird book came to be.

With irreverent humor and his signature obscure plots, John Scalzi offers readers a dairy delight in WHEN THE MOON HITS YOUR EYE. We follow people from around the country as they experience the celestial curiosity of the moon turning into actual cheese. Each chapter represents a day in the lunar cycle and focuses on different people across America sas they process this news.

Inexplicably, a book with such an outlandish premise manages to hone in on so many aspects of human nature: questions of faith, opportunists looking to capitalize on chaos, and what this event could mean for the future of humanity. This was a light-hearted reading experience that captured my attention and made me pine for a slice of Parmigiano Reggiano.

READ THIS IF YOU:
-have an affinity for cheese shops
-enjoyed the structure of The Measure by Nicki Erlach
-are looking for a unique reading experience

RATING: 4/5
PUB DATE: March 25, 2025

Many thanks to Tor and NetGalley for an electronic ARC in exchange for an honest review.

📚 #BOOKREVIEW 📚
When the Moon Hits Your Eye by John Scalzi
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / Pages: 336 / Genre: Sci-Fi
Release Date: March 25, 2025

The world is about to end because the moon has inexplicably turned into cheese. Now there’s two years left for humanity, just enough time to rethink the rest of your life but not yet time to totally freak out. What follows is a collection of short stories that tell how different people react to this news, how they accept their fate, and what they choose to do with their time left.

I loved this book. It was silly but with seemingly logical answers to what was happening. It was poignant without being morbid or depressing. The perfect last 5-star read of my year.

This book comes out on March 25, 2025, and a definite must add to your TBR. And I would wait for the audiobook since most of Scalzi’s books are narrated by Wil Wheaton, who’s one of my favorite narrators.

Thank you, @JScalzi, @TorBooks, and @NetGalley for my gifted copy.

I really like John Scalzi and have read most of his work, I think. When the Moon Hits Your Eye is definitely a different kind of story from his typical books. He mentions in the acknowledgment that this book completes a trilogy of sorts with Kaiju Preservation Society and Starter Villian and I can see where he is coming from, and actually made the connections before I read that (not that I'm that observant, I was just trying to make sense of the story itself). The "series" is about people. It's about what normal people would do in serious, world-ending, situations and how they would react to the news that the future may not be tenable. For this reason, I say bravo.

However, the loss of a star is only because some of the book felt a bit disjointed. There were stories about characters that he went back to and stories of characters that he never revisited and I wanted to see what happened to those people. I suppose I will have to wonder for myself on those. It's a good book all the same and a fun read. It's a crazy idea, to be honest, but I liked that, and the ending made sense when all is said and done. Scalzi remains the man and I look forward to the next one.

_When the Moon Hits Your Eye_ by John Scalzi is a humorous, witty, and fun science fiction read. It follows multiple characters as they all experience a most peculiar and life-changing event—one day the moon turns to cheese with no warning and no explanation. The story is filled with scientists, cheese shop owners, politicians, authors, and other citizens trying to figure out why this happened and how to manage life completely upended by lunar cheese. A great read for fans of John Scalzi and entertaining stories.

If you've read much by John Scalzi then you know that he thinks differently from most of us. From what ever happened to the expendable security people in Star Trek (Redshirts) to starting life over when you hit your senior years (Old Man's War) to the more recent Starter Villian (you get left a nice inheritance except it involves being the bad guy), you never know what Scalzi is going to come up with next.
In this book he uses the premise of what if the moon really made of cheese (not green cheese). Of course, we all know that it's made of rock but in this story the moon changes into cheese (or organic material as NASA keeps referring to it, not able to actually say cheese). Even all of the moon rocks that were brought back to earth have changed to cheese and no one has any idea how this happened. Apparently however, switching rocks for cheese creates a totally different moon -- it's brighter at night, and it's larger since it has the same mass but the same weight in cheese is larger than the original rock. Scientific terms are thrown around and explained but it's not necessary to commit these to memory -- you just need to go with the story.
Each chapter is a different day after the moon changes, and we are introduced to many characters and locations. As this new moon starts acting quite differently than the moon we've always known, bad things start to happen and in less than a month it looks as if earth only has a couple of years to exist before it will be wiped out. Life seems to lose a lot of meaning when everyone knows when their life is going to come to an end. It would have been nice to have some of the characters revisited (some were but it's not a lot of detail) but that probably would have been a book twice the size of this one. In any case Scalzi fans will like this book and those who are new to his books are in for a treat.

John Scalzi’s When the Moon Hits Your Eye is, in the loosest sense, a book. While the concept—what if the moon turned to cheese?—is undeniably quirky and creative, the execution feels incomplete. Scalzi acknowledges upfront that the science is vague, and the mystery of "what kind of cheese" becomes a recurring joke throughout the story. While amusing at first, this lack of clarity feels more like a missed opportunity than a deliberate choice.

The book's structure is unconventional, with each chapter introducing a new character. While this provides a broad spectrum of perspectives on the moon's cheesy transformation, it comes at the cost of a cohesive narrative. The characters rarely interact, making the story feel more like a series of vignettes than a unified tale. This fragmented approach left me skimming through some chapters, eager to reach the conclusion.

As for the ending, it’s underwhelming, though perhaps that’s to be expected from a premise as absurd as this one. Scalzi seems to revel in the absurdity, referring to the moon’s transformation as "organic matter" in a bureaucratic twist, but it doesn’t quite stick the landing.

If When the Moon Hits Your Eye is intended as the conclusion to Scalzi’s loose trilogy alongside The Kaiju Preservation Society and Starter Villain, it’s undoubtedly the weakest of the three. That said, it has its moments of humor and charm, and fans of Scalzi’s offbeat style might still find it worth a read. For me, though, it was more of a light snack than a satisfying meal.

Another fun and short-but-sweet book from John Scalzi. A unique premise, to say the least, as well as a unique structure to the book with each chapter following a different character through the events that play out after the moon turns into cheese. Definitely worth a read!

When the Moon Hits Your Eye” is pure chaotic brilliance. I loved every ridiculous, over-the-top, absurd second of it. The story doesn’t just push the boundaries of logic – it laughs at them and then drives straight through.

It reminded me of everything I love about John Scalzi’s work – sharp, clever, and completely unpredictable. The book thrives on improbable situations and bizarre twists that somehow all make perfect sense in the weirdest way possible. It’s fun, fast-paced, and doesn’t take itself too seriously, which made it a blast to read.

The characters are just as outrageous as the plot, but that’s what makes them great. Even with all the absurdity, there’s enough heart and humor to keep you invested. It felt like the literary equivalent of watching a sci-fi comedy that knows exactly what it’s doing – and doesn’t apologize for it.

If you’re looking for something unique, wildly entertaining, and not remotely grounded in reality, this book is for you. Highly recommend if you want to laugh and escape the ordinary for a while.

Following up on two wonderful standalones in The Kaiju Preservation Society, and Starter Villain, Scalzi once again dives into the world of delightfully absurd and absurdly delightful high-concept sci-fi in When the Moon Hits Your Eye. The premise is simple, and it's captured well in the description from the publisher: "The moon has turned into cheese. Now humanity has to deal with it."

It's a concept that gives Scalzi room to play with all of the witty characters and societal musings that have made him into a best-selling author time and again. Yes, you'll find scientists trying to figure out how the moon became cheese, and people debating the role of the moon in society and if they still have to go to work, but beyond that you'll also find a deeply human collection of stories. Rather than focus solely on the implications of the transformation, always looking up to the cheesy moon, Scalzi rightfully sets his sights to the people on the ground in a book that shows how the changes have impacted people from all walks of life in ways both big and small.

This isn't a Neal Stephenson style exploration of a sci-fi concept--it's not SevenCheese (sorry, I had to)--it's more akin to the way Red Shirts was told in a series of codas. Many of the stories here could stand on their own as pieces in an anthology whether they're focused on humor or heart. This is cozy cheese SF, not Andy Weir sciences the sh*t out of things. If that's the flavor you're looking for, When the Moon Hits Your Eye will leave you satisfied.

Thank you to Macmillan and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book!

Classic Scalzi. Super fun. Takes an unserious and improbable scenario and makes it interesting and believable while being humorous. The moon becoming cheese? Crazy, but Scalzi somehow made me feel like it was really something that could happen. Same vibes as “Starter Villain”.

Scalzi really captures so many aspects of our society here in the States as people across the nation grapple with the inexplicable: the moon turns to cheese. This is a very human story. What choices do you make when everything you’ve understood about the world and science has shifted? Each chapter is from a different perspective exploring governmental, corporate, religious, and everyday people’s experience with this phenomenon. This feels so believable. My favorite chapters are those that demonstrate the connections/relationships between a long time group of friends, a husband and wife, a newly budding romance. This is a masterpiece that I can’t say enough good things about. The author’s note is also great!

This book is bonkers. Scalzi throws all the rules about science out the window (except he kind of doesn’t, which makes it even more bonkers) and I LOVED IT.

Something happens to the moon, something truly bizarre, and we explore this through the eyes of many witnesses. (think World War Z only no zombies) Each chapter is a different person’s perspective on the Event, some are directly involved, some are on the peripheral.

I couldn’t put it down. Recommended for tweens and up.

Thanks to the folks at Net Galley for generously providing this eARC.

Scalzi has done it again. I'm not sure l'd read a book about the moon turning to cheese from any other author and Scalzi didn't disappoint. Told from numerous points of view over the course of a lunar cycle this novel is smart, funny, and sad while also being throughly entertaining. I can't wait to see what Scalzi has coming next. 10/10 would recommend.

Inventive, imaginative, and definitely entertaining, Scalzi can always be depended on to write something fun to read. Using the outlandish premise that the moon suddenly turns into what appears to be a cheese-like substance he skewers entitled billionaires, politics, family feuds, and much, much more as we live through one moon cycle when it appears the end of the world is nigh. Telling the story through a bunch (my technical term) of various people all over the world from college kids, to scientists, to preachers, former rock stars, and others between and beyond, it makes the reader think about life, the universe, and everything. It is definitely and unabashedly not science based science fiction but the best science fiction has always taken the path of "what if?" What would happen if something impossible happened? How would we react? What would we do? How would we really react if we had an approximate date for the end of the world?

This author has such a creative way of giving us hard truths and social critics using the most absurd scenarios. I love it. This time, instead of having a main character, we have a main event that will provoke reactions in different people across the country who have different statuses, beliefs, and agendas. Although the moon turning to cheese is pretty absurd it reflects well our current times as a society.

Thank you so much, publisher, for the awesome Xmas present accepting me to read this one.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC copy!

As a sci-fi fan I enjoyed this - it was witty, fun, imaginative and creative. He writes with whimsy and creativity while making a story that is inviting and intriguing!

Characters and plot are wacky and whimsy at times and that adds to the book.

I love when science fiction is goofy and just down for a good time, and that's why John Scalzi is one of my favorite authors. When the Moon Hits Your Eye was such a fun read and I love that it fits so well with his last few standalone novels. I think we've all wondered what would happen if the moon turned to cheese, and Scalzi lets us explore this reality. It's so fun that we see it from many different points of view including the president, NASA, and other government agencies, as well as just regular people. Scalzi's books always feel so cinematic and this was no exception. (I'm begging someone to turn one of his books into a movie finally!) The writing is also very snappy and was absolutely making me giggle and kick my feet. I honestly can't wait for other to get to read this book. John Scalzi is a staple in accessible scifi and I will be shouting about this book to anyone who will listen.

A fun and funny read by one of the wittiest sci-fi authors out there. When the moon inexplicably turns to cheese, it spurs a wide range of reactions here on Planet Earth. People of faith feel challenged, astronauts whose trip to the moon got canceled feel disappointment, and billionaires compete to be the first to land on the Cheese Moon or eat moon cheese. Hilarious, socially aware, and clever from start to finish.

Only John Scalzi could pull off a book this ridiculous and make it this enjoyable. I always appreciate his snark and humor and the way he laces it with just enough heart. This was fun and weird, but I also appreciated his author’s note that said his next book would have aliens and space in it bc I’m ready for it.