When the Moon Hits Your Eye

by John Scalzi

From the New York Times bestselling author of Starter Villain comes an entirely serious take on a distinctly unserious subject: what would really happen if suddenly the moon were replaced by a giant wheel of cheese.

It's a whole new moooooon.

One day soon, suddenly and without explanation, the moon as we know it is replaced with an orb of cheese with the exact same mass. Through the length of an entire lunar cycle, from new moon to a spectacular and possibly final solar eclipse, we follow multiple characters -- schoolkids and scientists, billionaires and workers, preachers and politicians -- as they confront the strange new world they live in, and the absurd, impossible moon that now hangs above all their lives.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Humor, Fantasy, Audiobook, Science Fiction Fantasy, Adult

326 pages, Hardcover

First published March 25, 2025

About the author

John Scalzi, having declared his absolute boredom with biographies, disappeared in a puff of glitter and lilac scent.

(If you want to contact John, using the mail function here is a really bad way to do it. Go to his site and use the contact information you find there.)

Reviews

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Have you ever wondered what would happen if the moon turned to cheese? If so, definitely give this book a read because it's a hoot. I mean, maybe don't trust the science-y bits because Scalzi admits in the afterword that his science is “extremely loosey-goosey,” but overall it's an entertaining look at how Americans from all over the country might react to such an unexpected phenomenon.

When the Moon Hits Your Eye is basically made up of a series of interconnected short stories and the point of view changes with every chapter. The characters come from all walks of life, from a billionaire CEO of an aerospace company to high school social outcasts. There are cheese shop owners and NASA astronauts and government leaders. There's a washed out rock star and a non-fiction author who suddenly finds himself thrust into the spotlight. While some of their stories are more exciting than others, they're all written with Scalzi's trademark humor and wit and I can honestly say that there wasn't a single one that I didn't enjoy.

And, yeah. I really don't know what else to say about this book. It's funny. It's heartwarming. It's unique. It's about the moon turning to cheese. If you've enjoyed Scalzi's previous novels, there's a good chance that you'll enjoy this one too.

My overall rating: 4.2 stars, rounded down.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Tor Books for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review. Its expected publication date is March 25, 2025.

[Montzalee Wittmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

When the Moon Hits Your Eye
By John Scalzi
This is a short book but packed full of craziness of a full novel! I mean this in the most positive way. I enjoyed every weird thing about this.
It's hard to review without giving something away. I want people to experience this book fresh.
What I will tell you is that something extraordinary happens all over the world. Then they find it's because of the moon. Then it gets worse.
The story is told through several people as the different stages happen. I was hooked.
It does have a happy ending for earth, but the explanation does not explain the very first stage. So, the book keeps you wondering. I can't tell you how much I love this book!
The wonderful characters, the plot, the scifi/fantasy, the humor, the heartbreak, and the brilliant absurdity!
I want to thank the publisher, author, and NetGalley for allowing me to read this fascinating book!

[Lorelei · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is absolutely ridiculous and absurd and has no right to be as good as it is. I thought I might laugh at a story about the moon turning to cheese – and I did, more than I expected to – but I didn’t think I’d CRY.

We all have those off the cuff “what would happen if” ideas, but Scalzi has gone and turned one into a book that is fabulous in its complete wackiness. This isn’t really about people trying to save humanity, or figuring out HOW the moon has turned to cheese and WHY. You get this insane thing that happens and then take a look at the reactions of people, which are very genuine and the whole time you’re nodding your head like “yeah, yep, that’s what I’d say too.”

Each chapter is one day in the lunar cycle, and follows the story of a different person or group as their lives go on. Under a moon of cheese. I thought they were all great, although my personal favorite might have been the one with a group of friends chatting on slack.

Also I really loved the one about the Elon Musk-esque character, and the characterization of how he never actually invented anything, he just pays companies a bunch of money to become the CEO and then takes credit for everything the real engineers do. Gee, that sounds familiar.

I think this book is downright wonderful, it’s fast paced and a very quick and entertaining read. If you’ve enjoyed Scalzi’s other works, particularly Starter Villain and Kaiju Preservation Society, then you’ll really like this. But if you haven’t and you like character vignettes and slice-of-life stories, then please check this out. Whimsy and absurdism aside, it’s full of very funny and touching stories of people confronting a situation they can’t begin to understand, and how they move forward in the face of it.

I know I’ve build this up, so you might be disappointed to hear it isn’t out until March 25. (Nooooo!) But trust me and stick this one on the TBR so you don’t forget about it.


Thank you Netgalley and Tor Books for the chance to read this delightful arc in exchange for my honest review.

[Ricarda · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first book by John Scalzi and definitely not my last one, because this was such an enjoyable read! The moon turning to cheese is a silly premise, but it does develop into an entertaining story and had me invested throughout the entire book. The special format helped with that too. Every chapter followed a different character across the USA, presenting many different perspectives on the whole cheese moon disaster. I really liked that the author focused on several personal experiences rather than one global catastrophe, and also the way how this situation not only created a whole lot of problems, but also extraordinary possibilities. The characters ranged from astronauts who were supposed to go to the moon when it still was a rock to a Hollywood producer who is now getting pitched cheesy moon comedies fifteen times a day to some rich people who just really want to taste the moon cheese. The book never returns twice to the same POV, but some characters appear or are mentioned in multiple chapters. The book almost felt like a series of interconnected short stories, and naturally some were more interesting than others. Some were science-focused and mostly informative (all science stayed pretty vague, though), but others were funny or even surprisingly heartfelt. I never knew what would be up next, so I started each chapter with new interest. There is also some mixed media, which is always nice to see in books. The story is of course speculative and often over-the-top, but many scenarios were still very much rooted in reality and you can find the one or other parallel to our everyday life. I do have to say that the book lost me a tiny little bit in the second half when the situation got more dire. After the great start, I never wanted it to take the apocalypse-route, but it made sense because the story had to lead somewhere. It was resolved nicely in the end, though. After liking When the Moon Hits your Eye I will definitely check out The Kaiju Preservation Society and Starter Villain, because the author somewhat groups these three books of his together and I could really need some more.

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

[Char · Rating 4 out of 5]

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

[Rachel (TheShadesofOrange) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.0 Stars
The premise of this science fiction novel is incredibly… cheesy. So I went in with tempered expectations. I have loved books bit this author but others haven't worked for me

Despite the bizarre premise, I was actually surprised to find this one more grounded than his last few publications. This one felt more contemplative than I expected. It wasn't the deepest story but I appreciated the humor being toned down.

As a piece of science fiction, I don't think it was entirely successful. I think from a different angle or a tweaked premise, this one could have been stronger.

Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher

[Dee (Delighting in the Desert) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars - A very interesting idea here, what if the moon DID turn into cheese one day?? So that ridiculous concept drew me to this novel along with the cover! (Not a spoiler, it’s the blurb) But I just didn’t connect with the storytelling - SO, so many characters that it was just really hard for me to follow. And the ending was very ambiguous too. I do think I get what the author was going for (it would be a universal event) but I guess I’m not the reader for this one, which is okay and I may still check out another of the author's books

[Bruce Katz · Rating 4 out of 5]

OK, so I’m not much of a sci/fi reader. My wife and daughter are happy occupants of that domain. But the world being the way it is, and Scalzi being an author I have some familiarity with and who has a large and enthusiastic audience… well, why not? The premise of the book sounds like it will be a bit of fluff. It’s light, yes, but it’s not empty. Scalzi writes with wit, intelligence, and empathy. I enjoyed the book. Really.

Thanks to Tor Books and Edelweis+ for providing a digital ARC in return for an honest review.

[Ian Payton · Rating 4 out of 5]

“One day, suddenly and without explanation, the moon turns into a ball of cheese.”

I was expecting this to be nothing more than a bit tongue-in-cheek, a bit silly, and a gentle, fun read. And while it has elements of those things (the moon has literally turned to cheese!) there is surprising depth that makes this much more than the headline implies.

“For some, it’s an opportunity. For others, it’s time to question their life choices. How can the world stay the same in the face of such absurdity and uncertainty?”

It took me a while to get into, as I was expecting a conventional plot structure. Instead, the book is a series of vignettes of how the moon turning to cheese affects people’s lives. There is an overall story arc - the ramifications of the moon turning to cheese become clearer throughout the book - but the purpose of this is really to explore the different impact on people’s lives and relationships as the situation develops, rather than for the plot itself.

Consequently, there are a lot of characters. I take extensive notes while I’m reading - it helps me keep tabs on who’s who and what they’re doing - and I ended up with entries for 63 characters (there were definitely more). Mostly, these characters appear in only one or two of the vignettes, and many of them have their name mentioned only once - presumably to emphasise the humanity of the story. It’s the difference between “Mike’s wife brought him a cup of coffee” and “Mike’s wife, Janice, brought him a cup of coffee” (not an actual quote) even if this is the only mention of Janice in the book: giving Mike’s wife a name makes her more real. There are only a handful of recurring characters, and the author does us the favour of reintroducing them when they reappear, so it’s OK to relax about trying to remember specific people.

In many ways it feels like a cross between a disaster movie and one of Randall Munroe’s “What If?” books. And as I’ve come to enjoy and expect from Scalzi, there are a lot of little hidden nuggets of humour - probably a lot more than I noticed - ranging from pithy observations about the publishing industry, to ancient philosophers, and a bit of nominative determinism in the cheese industry.

The absurdity of the situation - a situation that science cannot explain - also lets the narrative focus on the human story while scientific reaction takes a back seat. And it raises the question of how we would react to something that is patently happening, but that science can’t explain. Would we cope differently to people of the past who had no scientific explanation for an eclipse, or lightning?

But above all, the stories are about love and friendship - that in the face of extreme uncertainty, people will come together to repair and consolidate relationships. And if the moon was to turn to cheese, I think I’d be focusing on that, too.

Thank you #NetGalley and Tor for the free review copy of #WhentheMoonHitsYourEye in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

[Booksblabbering || Cait❣️ · Rating 2 out of 5]

A story about the moon turning to cheese should have been funnier and more interesting.🧀
It is “Fromageddon” and “Lactocalypse”, a childhood nursery rhyme turned reality.

This was ambitious: each chapter represents a day in the lunar cycle, each chapter with mostly different characters in mostly different places in the Unites States, reacting to it in ways specific them alone.

Whilst this gave us a glimpse of many different people, behaviour, and reactions; I think the jumping around made me lack connection to the characters.

Usually, Scalzi can make me laugh, but the humour here felt forced and a dictionary full of overused cheese puns and jokes.

“Did Shakespeare write about cheese?” “
“If he didn’t, he should have.” Annette giggled. “The Tragedy of Romano and Jarlsberg,” she said.
“Two cheese shops, both alike in dignity,” Felix intoned. “In fair Madison, where we lay our scene.”

This felt like it was trying to be philosophical about our existence especially after the last pandemic, however I sadly felt bored and preached to.

I am disappointed as I adored Starter Villain, enjoyed Kaiju Preservation society, and have read a few of his other space books.

Physical arc gifted by Book Break Pan MacMillan.

Bookstagram

[Krystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

For a book about something as ridiculous as the moon turning to cheese, this was FANTASTIC.

I don't think many authors could pull it off, but writing the absurd and making it a great read seems to be a strength of Scalzi. He manages to present a ridiculous concept, then fills the story with immediately likeable (or loathe-able) characters that bring such immense heart that you can't help but be swept up by it all.

Almost every chapter is told by a different character, so we get a wide variety of experiences. This is probably the part that I loved the most and happens to work incredibly well for this story. Seeing the small picture - on the individual level - helps us relate to what's happening in such a pure way, that it becomes less about the absurd and more about the experience of being human.

Add to that the perfect amount of humour and a gouda-mount of cheese puns (see what I did there) and you've got yourself a special kind of silly book.

Obviously, if you're picking this one up for scientific accuracy then you're in for a rude shock, but if you're after something a little more quirky with a lot of heart, this is absolutely one to pick up.

With thanks to Macmillan and NetGalley for an ARC

[Melki · Rating 4 out of 5]

When the moon suddenly changes into a spherical ball o' cheese, shock waves are felt all over our planet. From Sunday school songs to new moon-themed TV programs, everything is centered around our new celestial cheese wheel. But things take a dark turn when it appears the yummy orb may actually wipe out the planet. The parts of the book where the characters consider their coming extinction were surprisingly (coming from Scalzi, anyway) heartfelt and touching.

Sniff.

These chapters added a warm, human touch to what is mostly a rather silly, fun read. I enjoyed this immensely.

Many thanks to Tor Publishing and NetGalley for the read.

[Sarah Swann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was awesome! Such a cool concept for a book. Seriously, what would happen if the moon were turned into cheese??? I love the way he wrote it, with different perspectives from people in different circumstances. Some were featured multiple times and some were just one chapter. It kept me engaged and interested. It also makes you think about what you would do in these circumstances. How would you react? How would your life change? Balancing it out with his humor made it a very entertaining read. I thought it was great!

Huge thanks to the publisher for an early copy to read!

[laurel [the suspected bibliophile] · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, that was a book.

Loosely billed as a trilogy of regular people dealing with high-concept sci-fi ideas alongside The Kaiju Preservation Society and Starter Villain, I think this was my least favorite of the three. I loved Kaiji as a fun, bubble-gum spree of monsters and capitalism and weird. The schtick was enjoyable.

It grew less enjoyable with SV, which felt like a rough draft of a story: lots of great ideas with a lot of formulaic writing.

And it grew downright annoyed with Moon, which started off really strong and then devolved into entries filled with either copy/paste repartee or heartstring-tugging moments of togetherness (usually framed in a speech of some sort).

Mainly, I was annoyed because of the ending. Commit, Scalzi! And for fuck's sake, tell me what kind of cheese!

Fans of Starter Villain and Project Hail Mary will really like this one. It has strong Project Hail Mary vibes.

Personally, I think that this would have been great as a novella, but as a full-length novel it was just too long. The repetitive pattern of the dialogue got old really fast.

Two stars, because at least the obnoxious billionaire dies horribly in the end.

I received an ARC from NetGalley

[Simone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Did I have that song "That's Amore" stuck in my head every single time I picked up this book? Yep. I'm a huge fan of John Scalzi and his latest work he begs the question "how would the world react if the moon turned into cheese?"

"I don't pretend I can explain the moon turning into cheese. I can't. No one right now can. But that doesn't mean that it isn't explainable --it just means that, on this particular matter, we are no different than those humans ten thousand years ago looking at an eclipse." (pg 77, ARC edition)

This was a much different book than I imagined. While I've only read two other books by John Scalzi, both of them had a linear story line that moved across the entire book and gave you a satisfying ending. When the Moon Hits Your Eye comes at you with a different approach presenting the argument of a moon made of cheese and then showing the effects of said news on the human populous.

From stories about politicians having sex with a wheel or brie to a young writer trying to get back into writing her book, the stories within the overarching theme of When the Moon Hits Your Eye gives you a small glimpse into how our world would react to this pretty ludicrous premise. I absolutely loved the small vignettes on people's lives ranging from those directly involved and those indirectly involved. But there was one small detail that was kind of left out: no one explains how the moon got that way.

I think it's on purpose that John Scalzi doesn't go into how this phenomenon happened. It probably would have been a different book rivaling the details of Andy Weir's stories. So perhaps the moon turning into cheese isn't the big part of the book. Instead, it's just a plot device to what happens around the big event.

I thought the characters represented in this novel really captured the depth and breadth of human life. Going into politics, religious beliefs, and science are all represented up front since those are probably the places most people's minds would go, but then there are the smaller, more mundane folks who are touched by this moon thing in one way or another. From discussions with friends about ridiculous billionaires riding their own lunar landing to the hunk of cheese to two competing cheese shops fighting for retail supremacy in close proximity to each other, there's more than just politics, religion, and science that would be touched by the events in this book.

And yet, it carried with it John Scalzi's lighthearted writing style, his ability to find humor in any circumstance, and how he's able to make you care about a bunch of characters in such a small number of pages. It made me happy to read and while I don't want the moon to turn to cheese any time soon, I welcome a sci-fi story that doesn't fully bog you down with "end of the world" doom and gloom.

If anything, this book is an examination of human life at the brink of its end. It's not about telling cohesive story, but to show you that we all react differently when it comes to disaster and with the rising temperatures and ice caps melting in our very real world, you can't help but to look at this text and wonder if this will be us one day.

Overall, if you're new to science fiction and you want to check out how an author can create literary (and funny) prose in a given situation, then I highly recommend checking this one out. Thanks to Tor Books for sending me a copy of the book.

[Sensei_cor · Rating 4 out of 5]

La premisa es simple: De pronto la luna se convierte en queso. Y de ahí sacas un libro, ¡tus huevos John Scalzi!

Al igual que los últimos libros de este hombre -que es mi escritor favorito-, me ha resultado un poco más flojo en comparación con las sagas de Fuerzas de Defensa Coloniales o La Interdependencia o incluso otros libros independientes suyos. En el epílogo dice que precisamente sus últimas novelas (Kaiju, Starter Villain y ésta) son una especie de ciclo de novelas independientes conceptuales. Pues bien, un poco menos de "conceptuabilidad" tampoco estaría mal.

Respecto a la novela en sí, es tal cual, la luna se convierte en queso. Está planteado de forma que cada capítulo ocurre en un día, y cuenta la historia de alguien de forma independiente o vagamente relacionada con las demás. Muy parecido a la estructura de "Guerra Mundial Z" pero día a día en vez de por bloques.

En definitiva, un libro ligero y divertido pero sin llegar al nivel que ha demostrado el autor en muchas otras ocasiones. Aún así el 3,5/5 se va derecho al 4/5.

[Dan Cassino · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the afterword, Scalia writes that he sees this as part of a conceptual trilogy with Starter Villain and the Kaiju Preservation Society, and it certainly reads that way. It’s a smooth blend of silly and serious, a popcorn novel like his previous two, and even if it didn’t tug at my heartstrings as much as Scalia wanted it to, it was entertaining and well crafted. If you liked his last two books, you’ll like this one as well. It’s not going to challenge you, but not all books need to. It’s fitting that there’s a Hallmark movie plot about rival cheese shops embedded into the book, as this is very much the literary equivalent of that kind of pop culture comfort food.

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would like to thank Pan MacMillan books and John Scalzi for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. I loved the idea of the moon suddenly becoming cheese. It’s a classic childhood tale retold for adults in our modern age.

This story starts of slowly then gradually increases its pace detailing unimaginable event occurring and told through the perspectives of many different people over a period of time. This I found to be most amusing and satisfying as their reactions and opinions were very varied. The science is easy to understand which was good as I felt it may have taken over the story. I loved the way Scalzi gets into people’s heads and hearts to bring out the best in his characters which he did so with expertise.

Overall this is a fun, dramatic and sometimes emotional story to read and felt different to the authors usual style of writing. At first I was a little sceptical where this book would go but I should have known I would not be disappointed. A most enjoyable, satisfying read with great characters and an unusual plot that will keep you glued to the pages.

[Nooilforpacifists · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is not SF, but a comic novel. I’m not sure Scalzi still knows how to write science fiction anymore. And his comedy is getting worse.

There is one fine chapter—“Day Twenty-One”—the only serious chapter in the book. But even the ending, seeking seriousness—flunks both for it’s uninteresting humor but, more importantly, its presto-chango time-to-end-this-novel-now-no-matter-what hard stop phony SF.

Characters? Really only one and a half. Maybe one and two other halves. This it what distinguishes it from Redshirts, another Scalzi science fiction novel with broad comedic elements: there were people you cared about. Everyone here was cardboard. I’m not just talking about the President and the billionaire head of a high-tech corporation. Given Scalzi’s politics, those are the Beelzebub and Devil, respectively, of his nightmares.

Yes, I laughed out loud several times. And “Day Eleven” is very sweet. But avoid this one.

[Ashley Cruzen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
this was fun and not trying to be anything more than it was. admittedly though i find these kinds of books hard to rate. i enjoyed it and it was exactly what i was expecting and looking for.

[Tucker Almengor]

"the moon has turned into cheese and-"

Cool. Enough said. I'm in.

[Tammy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The nitty-gritty: John Scalzi takes an absurd idea and adds humor, heart and thoughtful commentary about life in this fast-paced, engaging "what if" story.

You can always count on John Scalzi to come up with fresh ideas, even if they’re waaay out there (literally, in this case), and that’s what you get with When the Moon Hits Your Eye. What if the moon suddenly turned into cheese? Impossible, right? Yet that’s exactly the scenario Scalzi addresses in this funny, absurd and emotionally touching story. Rather than focus on a set group of characters, the book reads almost like a series of vignettes, as we follow people from all over the country, from all walks of life, as they attempt to make sense of what’s happening.

The story begins in Wapakoneta, Ohio at the Armstrong Air and Space Museum, where director Virgil Augustine is called into the Moon Room by an employee. Something odd has happened to one of the moon rocks on display. It no longer resembles a rock, and after some debate they decide to open the display case and take a closer look. A strong odor of cheese emerges from the…thing on display. How and when could this have happened?

We jump to the President of the United States and his staff, who are being briefed on the odd moon rock situation—which is happening in other museums across the country as well. Because of this, scientists have determined the moon is closer than it should be and has grown in mass. Spectral analysis proves that the material of the moon is no longer rock, and indeed resembles something like cheese. 

As this shocking news leaks out to the public, everyone speculates on what it means. LaMae Anderson is an astronaut scheduled to be aboard the upcoming NASA lunar launch, but with uncertain conditions on the moon, the launch has been put on hold; tech billionaire Jody Bannon also has plans to send his private launcher Major Tom to the moon, and despite warnings from his team, he insists on the launch going forward. As the lunar cycle progresses, each day brings new information, and things aren’t getting better—they’re getting worse. If the moon really has turned into cheese, what’s next for planet Earth?

Even though the set up is pretty ridiculous, I was surprised how much I enjoyed this book. The story isn’t actually about the moon turning to cheese, it’s about how society reacts when faced with something impossible. Scalzi shows us how various groups and individuals deal with the moon turning to cheese. Some are opportunistic and use it to their advantage, like a producer in Los Angeles who is taking pitch ideas for a new movie—all of which involve cheese in some way; or the non fiction writer who has just published a book about the moon and who suddenly finds himself in the spotlight. Then there are the rich who think they can buy whatever they want. One such man wants to taste a chunk of the moon cheese and will spend any amount of money to make that happen (this was one of the funniest, laugh-out loud chapters in the book!)

My favorite parts, though, focused on regular, everyday people. We meet three retired guys who meet at a local coffee shop on a regular basis, and of course the cheese moon is their latest topic of conversation. One of Scalzi’s strengths is his dialogue, especially when the conversations are funny, and Clyde, Dave and Alton have some of the funniest dialog in the book (and later in the story, some of the most heartfelt). Another favorite chapter involves two rival cheese shops in Madison, Wisconsin, where an adorable meet cute between two new employees offsets some of the more obnoxious characters in the story.

If you’re familiar with John Scalzi’s books, you’ll know he doesn’t shy away from political commentary, and while it’s much more subtle in this book than in others I’ve read recently, I had to chuckle at Jody Bannon, the “country’s most famous tech billionaire.” It was pretty clear who Scalzi was writing about and he nailed it. I won’t give away the details about Jody’s trip to the moon, but let’s just say it was extremely dark but funny at the same time. Scalzi, I approve!

The author includes just enough science to make you think there are actually scientists working on the issue of the cheese moon, and this speculation about how things would play out made a lot of sense. 

Not all of the chapters worked for me, though. Some just didn’t have the humor or emotional impact of the ones I’ve mentioned above, and I didn’t really understand their purpose. I’ll admit I ended up skimming one chapter about a comedy club that I didn’t find funny at all. But for the most part, I enjoyed the majority of the characters and scenarios immensely.

Later in the story the plot takes an apocalyptic turn, which I loved. Scalzi moves from humor to a more sober tone with lots of emotional moments. The ending wasn’t at all what I was expecting, but it worked. I’m betting Scalzi fans will love this book, and readers who are new to the author should definitely give it a try.

Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.

[Eve · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book—its sheer absurdity made it incredibly entertaining, and I can’t wait to dive into Starter Villain, which has been waiting on my shelf for far too long.

John Scalzi’s writing reminded me of the satirical authors I grew up with, like Wodehouse and the Bulgarian writer Zdravko Popov. That familiar, sharp-witted vibe struck a chord with me and was likely one of the many reasons I enjoyed this book so much. I’ve already recommended it to countless people—including my mom, a strict thriller reader!

This book has everything—lighthearted comedy, dark humor, political tension, religious doubts, love and hate, acceptance and denial, belief and riots. The deeper you go, the darker it gets, and I loved how Scalzi wove brutal reality into such an absurd premise.

With the central theme of the moon being made of cheese (BUT WHAT KIND OF CHEESE???), the book also sent me down memory lane, reminding me of the old Tom and Jerry episode "O Solar Meow" from the very first chapter.

It’s a light, noncommittal read—not a binge book, but one to relax with at the end of a long day, letting it pull you away from reality. Savor it. On a side note, my favorite POVs were Annette and Felix’s, though I wish I’d also had more time with Lessa Sarah and Hector.

Thank you, NetGalley and Pan Macmillan, for the ARC!

[Bookphenomena (Micky) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Headlines:
Metaphor
Cheesy puns
Billionaires without brains

This sci-fi carried a storyline based in the ridiculous but Scalzi managed to make it engaging and to some degree believable in terms of society's reactions. The moon turned into organic matter (cheese) one evening and it had global effects.

Told in a number of POVs that somehow worked, we saw small town sheriffs, billionaire rocket owners (side eye), NASA, the president of the US (not in orange) and all sorts of random societal perspectives. I don't like lots of POVs but I can say, in this case, it mapped the story well.

The underlying issue of an organic moon couldn't really be explained but the impact it had on earth was fascinating. The conspiracy theories, the Christians blaming the devil and some end of world frenzy felt accurate.

I was lingering in the 3.5 rating but the way the story ended really pulled it up to 4 stars for me. The clever finish and commentary after events was spot on. Cheese puns aside, this really is worth the silliness.

Thank you to Tor for the review copy.

[Wiebke (1book1review) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fast silly little book. I listened to it in one day, because I just couldn't stop. Seeing all these people and how they react to the moon changing is hilarious and just captivating. I enjoyed that we didn't meet everyone again and that the story was mostly slices of panic, eh life.
The audiobook was as usual amazing.

[☕️Kimberly (Caffeinated Reviewer) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice escape with plenty of laughs.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I heard the premise of this, I was certain it would be a fun little romp - but this was so much more! Absolutely unputdownable, absurd, fascinating, and also such an incisive and accurate portrayal of humanity that it almost felt too real at time. I wasn’t sure about the ending at first, but the final few vignettes nailed it for me. I’ll also say this - I was skeptical of the format working for me (each chapter exploring the perspective of this cosmic event from various people and viewpoints across mostly the US) as I am not a fan of short story collections, but this absolutely read as a cohesive novel, and I think far more interesting and engaging than it might’ve been if it had followed just one or two characters. My giant thanks to NetGalley and Tor for the chance to read an early copy of one of my most anticipated books of the year!

[Dre · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

3.69 / 5

[Robin (Bridge Four) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart

Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

If there is anyone who can take a ridiculous idea like the moon turning to cheese and make it into a book that was funny, absurd, silly, heartwarming and thought provoking it is John Scalzi.  When the Moon Hits Your Eye is a collections of stories set in a world where the moon has turned to cheese and how various people across the United States deal with that in a 'day in the life' kind of fashion.

We start off the lunar month with the discovery the moon is wrong and made of cheese.  Every chapter is a day focusing on a different set of characters and how they are coping with this new discovery.  While there is a little talk of how this happened, that is not the focus of the story.  It has more to do with how it impacts peoples lives and what they think of the phenomenon.  Each chapter is a day in the lunar cycle leading up to a lunar eclispe.

I enjoyed how every chapter had a different focal PoV.  From the NASA astronauts whose mission to the moon got scrapped, to a cheese shop with a long standing family feud, the guys down at the local diner, a writer who accidentally became famous due to the content of his just released book and so many others characters and how the moon changing has effected their lives.  Each 'a day in the life' had something I enjoyed in it that added to the overall whole of the book.

Scalzi says in the afterword that this book finished up a group of stories that include The Kaiju Preservation Society and Starter Villain.  You do not have to have read them to enjoy When the Moon Hits Your Eye, however they follow the same concept when he was writing them of "ordinary people dealing with an extraordinary high concept situation in a modern setting".  

I enjoyed this book so much more than I thought I would.  The chapter stories with the various characters were fun.  Billionaires fighting over who will be first to eat a piece of the moon, friends in a group chat talking about the eclipse party they can't make it to, NASA explaining how the moon is now volatile with volcanoes of molten cheese and so on.  Just a lot of great and fun stories, even a few emotional ones.

If you are a person that can live with some loosey-goosey science to have a good time this could be just what you were looking for.

[Michael J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the way this book starts, from the opening of short facts about the moon presented in a children's book approach to the awe-inducing discoveries regarding changes in the planet. It reminded me of how accessible to readers the science-fiction of Asimov, Heinlein and Sturgeon was - especially the works of Ray Bradbury. That's good company.

The story is told in episodic chapters, focusing on the point of view of a large ensemble of characters, related in chronological order corresponding to the days in a lunar cycle. There's a turn of events near the end that came as a complete surprise, and some may consider unsatisfactory, but I won't spoil it by hinting at anything. I was perfectly fine with this, and felt it was an appropriate way to end things.

It seems that Scalzi considered all the implications for us mere mortals on Earth should the moon turn to cheese and upset the status quo, etc. Some of the chapters are more serious than others, but there is a tonge-in-cheek vibe to everything here. Every possible scenario seems to have been accounted for, from the reaction of the scientific community, to big government, to Hollywood, to the common man.

Three of my favorite chapters are the three retired senior citizens who meet for breakfast at a diner and speculate on the future, the Elon Musk-like character who spearheads his own mission to the moon (and gets what he deserves - wishing something similar would happen to the real person), and the various screen-writers making their elevator pitches to Hollywood producers for a moon-themed script.

Some memorable Scalzi wit/satire, through the thoughts of Jody Bannon (think Elon Musk):"Follow: Jody Bannon wanted to go to the moon. Jody Bannon knew he had neither the time nor patience to go through real astronaut training. So if he was going to go to the moon, he was going to have to buy an aerospace company (which he did), make a credible bid to build a next-generation lunar lander (which he did), and then have it built with so many automated and redundant systems that even an untrained dipshit (which he was) could make it to the moon and back, just by pressing the occasional button."

Also, this little gem - - a conversation between President Boone and his wife regarding how to break the news about the moon to the public:
Boone snorted. "You've seen my latest poll numbers," he said. "My powers of persuasion are not what you think they are."
"This isn't about you trying to shepherd legislation," Angie said. "This is you being the actual most powerful human in the world. Right or wrong, that's who you are right now. People know it, even if they hate it and hate you. So if they get even a hint that you think we're doomed, it's all over. If they think you think we have a chance, they'll take that into their heads. Even if they think you're delusional."
"I might be delusional," Boone admitted.
"And you might not be. Maybe we will get through this."
"Maybe we will. And if we do, then maybe I'll get reelected."
"Don't get your hopes up," Angie said. "I've seen your poll numbers."