I was immediately intrigued by the premise of When the Moon Hits Your Eye—the moon turning into cheese? It sounds absurd, and yet Scalzi completely pulls it off. The execution of this bizarre idea lives up to my expectations, and it was genuinely satisfying to see how he explored the chaos and humor that followed this cosmic shift.

The humor in this book was spot on. One of the highlights for me was the fate of the tech billionaire—such a brilliant, unexpected twist. I found myself laughing out loud more than once, which isn’t something I often do when reading.

While the shifting perspectives tied the story together well, I did miss forming deeper connections with the characters. Most only got one chapter, which made it hard to get attached to them. I enjoy connecting with characters, and that was the one thing I felt was lacking here. It felt a bit like a collection of short stories, each with its own unique voice, but the lack of continuity made it feel like there was something missing for me.

That said, Scalzi does a fantastic job of making each vignette count, and the satire and wit are top-notch. If you’re a fan of clever, fast-paced storytelling with a touch of philosophical reflection, this one’s definitely worth the read.

Thanks to net galley for e-arc.

I did enjoy this book and it would probably be a 3.5 but it didn't quite hit page turner for me. I think it too a bit to long to get going. The middle and end were far better.

I enjoyed the concept of using something silly to examine how the world operates and responds to crisis.
For the most part the book reads like a short story collection or different people from vastly different walks of life responding to the main events. It's a fun read with serious undertones

This book is definitely up there among my favourites of Scalzi's, and it has his signature humour and a great deal of absurdity which I greatly enjoyed. The story switches between various perspectives, all different people from different places in the US responding to the revelation that the moon has just turned to cheese. The switches between points of view were smooth the whole way through, and I particularly liked that it would often return to related characters who were introduced earlier by someone else's chapter, although there is every chance that the only reason I could remember most people's names was because I read the book in the span of about a day or so. The story seemed mostly observational, a collation of different experiences of the moon turning to cheese, and the minutae of many lives as those lives went on regardless. It featured multiple rich assholes, some of whom perhaps got what they richly deserved, and was so intensely readable that it was possible to read ten chapters quite easily when you had only intended to read one. If you've liked any of Scalzi's books before, you'll definitely like this one.

DNF @ 35%. To be completely truthful, I was bored. I was so bored, which for a story about the literal moon turning to cheese, should not be the situation. Scalzi employs a similar structure to Kirsten Miller's 'Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books', following a different character each chapter and how they react to an overall stimuli - i.e. the moon turning to cheese. But where Miller succeeds and Scalzi falters is in the connectivity of each of these characters. There are so many and so very similar that as soon as I finished one chapter, I immediately forgot who they were. There was no return to their lives, no thread that kept me interested in all of these different perspectives. The chapters are long and very dialogue heavy without actually moving the plot forward. This feels like a movie that's been battered into a novel shape and presented to us. Not for me.

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.

<b>“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.”
</b>
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 Preservwtion society, and have read a few of his other space books.

Physical arc gifted by Book Break Pan MacMillan.

This was my first book from this author so I didn't have any expectations. It took me a bit to get used to all of the different point of views but I ended up liking that idea. It's the best and easiest way to show how a big event has an effect on everyone. This book made me laugh but it also made cry. And the way all these different emotions were delivered made the whole story feel very... human.

Generally a fan of Scalzi’s work since the old man’s war series. This book just didn’t work well for me. I found there were too many povs. Although I did enjoy the premise as its bizarre.

What kind of cheese though?
For a book with the gloriously silly premise that the moon has suddenly turned into cheese, I think that’s a fair enough question.
Take it all in the spirit of bonkers-ness and enjoy this book for what it is. An Amuse Bouche of a book.

Each chapter follows a day in the lunar cycle and has different people’s thoughts on what is happening.
I expected the book to be very funny, but it is also surprisingly moving with some really deep insights into human nature when we’re faced with the impossible and the end of everything we know.

I couldn’t help thinking of one of my favourite books of all time when reading this - The Hopkin’s Manuscript by R.C Sherriff, where the moon is tumbling towards Earth and is on a course to ‘graze’ it. And also, the film ‘Don’t Look Up’.
Like ‘The Hopkin’s Manuscript’, the science is completely shonky (see John Scalzi’s great notes at the end of the book where he gives his reasons for this), but neither book suffers in the least bit for not scientifically backing up the events.

Brilliant stuff. I need to read more from this author.

4.5/5 stars

What if the moon suddenly turned into cheese? That’s the absurd premise of John Scalzi’s latest conceptual science fiction offering When the Moon Hits Your Eye as it takes it day-by-day over the first lunar cycle following different people from all walks of life.

This book was such a delight to read. It rolls with its premise, giving it a charming and lighthearted take when it could have just as easily fallen into dark humor territory (which it gratefully didn’t because I’m not a fan of black comedy). It’s pop science meets Andy Weir and incredibly funny (I literally laughed out loud multiple times). Told one day at a time from a wide variety of characters’ perspectives, it never feels disjointed and delivers a complete story despite its scattered structure.

The book has the traditional perspectives from astronauts and scientists trying to understand what happened. Then spices it up with some topical perspectives of a megalomaniac tech billionaire determined to be the first man to step on the cheese moon and two rival billionaires with more money than sense who want to be the first to eat the moon cheese. It then brings humor and charm through a rivalry between cheese shop owners spying on each other and an author who just so happens to have published a relevant pop science novel.
The most heartfelt, most human, and sweetest to me though were the doubting pastor guiding his struggling flock (and this is coming from someone who does not like having religion in my books) and the singular sweet moment between a wanna-be writer and her husband.

One note I have though is that I wish we had gotten to see more of some characters as we don’t get back to them so we are left to imagine what comes next for them (and I am imagining all positive things). Also, the book is entirely American so lacks the global feel these types of stories usually have.

When the Moon Hits Your Eye is a ridiculous and positively riotous good time.

*Thank you to Pan Macmillan for the eARC via NetGalley.

(Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC.)

This was cheesy (ba dum tss). Literally: the moon turns to cheese. That's it. That's the book.

Honestly, good for you, John Scalzi. It's fun, and original, and the type of story that's good to read if you just need a break from reality. I'm almost tempted to call it a collection of short stories, since each chapter focuses on a different day / character / situation. And that comes with the bonus / pitfall of any collection: hate some, love some. I especially liked the chapter written like a Slack conversation, as well as the doubt / faith conversations that would result from such an unrealistic change.

An old friend from high school and I used to call this type of book "junk food." Not exactly nourishing, but sometimes exactly what you need. It would be a good beach read, if that gives you a better idea. Not something I'd necessarily recommend, but a decent enough escape.

I love John Scalzi, so I always knew I was going to enjoy this book, and I did, although perhaps not as much as I had been expecting.

I often feel like the strength of Scalzi's books is in his characters, and how much they are fleshed out and how human they feel. That is where I feel like this book was let down somewhat. Because there were so many different characters, you don't get the change to develop a sense of who of them really are.

That aside, I did enjoy this book. Jody Bannon was such an easily hateable character and there were so many lines in this book that made me actually laugh out loud. Who doesn't want a sexuality described as possibly asexual or 'just unimpressed with the local talent.'

A fun take on what would happen if the moon was made of cheese, and I really enjoyed the 'hoax' posts at the end! It's all just fake news!

I absolutely loved Starter Villain by John Scalzi which came out last year, so I was excited to read When the Moon Hits Your Eye.

When the moon suddenly and inexplicably turns into cheese, people are scared, scientists are baffled and billionaires smell an opportunity…

I hadn’t realised when I picked up When the Moon Hits Your Eye that it was in the style of vignettes – each chapter is from a different, and usually new perspective so there’s a lot of people to keep track of. Some characters turn up in other people’s points of view, so there is some crossover and they are all about the same overarching theme – how humanity deals with the cheese based catastrophe. I don’t usually like this style as I find it quite hard to get immersed in. I don’t think I’ve rated any vignette style books higher than 3 stars though, so this will definitely be an exception. I enjoyed some of the stories – the billionaire wanting to land on the moon, the fantasy writer and the hotel room scandal stories really stood out for me. Some of the other viewpoints weren’t as engaging though and as such it took me longer than usual to finish the book.

The premise of this book is delightfully silly, the author himself even mentions that the science is a little loosey-goosey, so take it with a grain of salt. At the end of the day it’s more interesting to focus on the human response – the characters we meet, the situations they are put in and it also has a lot to say on billionaires meddling in science and conspiracy theories which is very relevant at the moment! I would say if you have seen the film ‘Don’t Look Up’ – this is a very similar vibe.

Overall, When the Moon Hits Your Eye is a silly premise but engaging and fun and there is a message in there as well. Thank you to NetGalley & Pan Macmillan – Tor for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Just finished John Scalzi's latest novel (thanks Netgalley) - When the Moon Hits Your Eye and I'm a little disappointed. I'm a huge fan (favourite so far, Starter Villain!) but this satire on US society didn't do it for me. It was rather silly and I found the ending to be frustrating. The story involved more people than the population of Rhode Island, it's all plot, no character. I suspect it has so many resonances to American culture it doesn't cross the Atlantic very successfully? As a fan, I really wanted it to work. Better luck next time John!

This is gripping, insightful, and intriguing read. One day Moon turns into cheese which concerns everyone as well as intrigues them too. The book has been written well. The plot is really unique. This is definitely a plot driven book while you will like the conversation between characters and a touch of scientific research. It’s the big aspect of the story.

Thanks to the Publisher

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy. This book is about the moon turning into cheese, and it is grate (sorry not sorry, how can you not make a cheese pun in this situation???). I really loved how this book was told through the lens of short stories, allowing us not only to see those in power navigating the course of nations but also very personal individual stories. Some of the them made me laugh, and some made me want to cry. I highly recommend this book!

3.5/5, rounded up because i had a good enough time

I've only read Starter Villain from the author, and it was exactly in line with this one. A light read, decent prose, some nice moments. Thankfully the characters change every three or four chapters, which helped the book move along and not drag. I was entertained.

Why not 4 stars? I didn't laugh that much. I gave Starter Villain 4 stars because i laughed out loud several times, but that didn't happen here, i was only in a state of light amusement.

Why not 3 stars? I was amused enough that i want to give this book more than "neutral 3". I would recommend it, especially if you vibe with Scalzi's writing in general. If you gave Starter Villain 5 stars, you will probably enjoy this one a lot too.

A whimsical romp in which the moon one day, inexplicably, turns to cheese. Rather than following the implications of this in the form of a story, Scalzi instead gives us a pastiche of entertaining set pieces: how does the local church respond; how do the proprietors of competing cheese stores respond; retirees in a coffee shop; Holywood execs; popular science writers; NASA; asshole billionaires; has-been musicians; and so on. There's not really a plot, just a series of conversations. This both does and doesn't work well. I think the series of set pieces is a nice way to explore the implications of something so huge and also so silly as the conceit of this book. But also, Scalzi is not great at characterization. Or rather, he's not great at varying his characterization. Everyone speaks in the same voice; and every conversation has the same fast-paced, reasonably witty back-and-forth. When you have a smaller cast of characters, this isn't so much of a problem. But when you have a book where each chapter introduces new people in new settings with ostensibly new perspectives on the phenomenon, and they all sound exactly the same, it lampshades Scalzi's reliance on this one neat trick pretty saliently.

When The Moon Hits Your Eye is wonderfully fun and silly, and fits the bill perfectly for a light-hearted adventure (a bit of ‘popcorn sci-fi’ if you will). It isn’t the deepest story out there, but it’s a great bit of light entertainment with how seriously all the characters take the ridiculous plot. Compared to his latest books, I found Moon to be a stronger book than Starter Villain, and more on par with Kaiju Preservation Society.

A lot of creativity and exploration was wrung out of a simple concept here; what would the ramifications be if the moon turned to cheese? This is a story where the narrative jumps around every chapter, viewing the sudden lunar change from different professions and walks of life all across the United States. The perspectives of NASA astronauts and the presidential offices were all expected for me in the book, but a few others were a pleasant surprise - a brief dip into the publishing industry, and the ‘behind-the-scenes’ crisis in a faith community were inventive inclusions that kept the story feeling fresh.

Speaking of fresh, I felt that the pacing of Moon Hits Your Eye was vital to this book’s success; I don’t think it was perfectly executed, as the progression is very slow in the first third of the book, to the extent that I wondered if the book was even intending on advancing the plot! The story does move forward though after this, and loops back around to check back in on past characters. I think Scalzi does a good job of exploring the idea fully, but not overstaying its welcome.

I wouldn’t call many of the characters particularly deep or well developed, though given the story’s structure this isn’t a surprise or a particularly fair criticism. Except for a few key exceptions, most characters had a similar internal monologue and witty banter with their colleagues. I did however very much enjoy the twitter banter, so I found myself not really minding.

I’ve loved everything I’ve read by John Scalzi, but this one didn’t quite do it for me.
I loved the concept, and enjoyed his quirky way of thinking and writing. And loved the first few chapters. The moon suddenly turns to ‘an organic substance’. What’s not to love about that?
But for me this was a collection of related short stories, most with a philosophical or political angle, exploring how humanity would deal with such a (possibly apocalyptic) event. Some thought provoking, some humorous…..and some, for me, just a wee bit too wordy. The story line jumped about just a bit too much and there was very little flow.
I liked it, but didn’t love it. Definitely wouldn’t stop me reading Scalzi!

Wheee! John Scalzi is one of those few authors whose afterword is as witty and intriguing as the idea he has taken on in the book. Oh, also the extraordinary conviction he has to the idea!

What happens to the earth and it's people when suddenly the moon turns to cheese? To a world that has recently seen a black swan event like Covid, this premise seems easy enough to explore in a straight forward narrative. But then Scalzi doesn't do straight forward. How do normal people react to such an mindboggling development.

Taken over one moon cycle - it covers different people - NASA scientists, White house, church, cheese makers, chefs, crazy billionaires, production houses, authors - and tries to make sense of this change. The science is intentionally vague though logical. As the author confesses - he is ready for a 45 minute youtube rant on "why the science is wrong".

I loved the philosophical rants and the common man's sense of wonderment at a cosmic event that defies common understanding. When heliocentric theory challenged the prevailing geocentric theory, it would have been a shock to the mental models. Scalzi manages to capture that change in 30 odd chapters with a similar concept. And of course there is a hat-tip to conspiracy theorists as well.

Without giving much away, the second half of the book could have been less dramatic. I think the eclipse is a brilliant metaphor used wisely. Scalzi calls it part of a trilogy that includes Kaiju Preservation Society - a brilliant pop song of a novel! This is a bit more morose and an acknowledgement of the human condition that has gone through a "new normal" phase.

This book is to hit the stands in 2025! Thank you for the ARC copy.