When the Moon Hits Your Eye is very different from John Scalzi's other SF offerings. I sum it up as a satire on society and cheese, as the author delves into all the weird and wonderful things that might happen - and how oddly all sorts of people might react - when the moon turns overnight into cheese.

When the Moon Hits Your Eye by John Scalzi
Review by Sam Lubell
Tor Books Hardcover / eBook ISBN/ITEM#: 9780765389091
Date: 25 March 2025

If you told a science fiction fan that you had just read a novel about the moon turning into cheese, and they had not previously heard of When the Moon Hits Your Eye, there is a good chance they would ask, "Is that by John Scalzi?" This is not to say John Scalzi is the only one who would think of writing such a book, but he is probably the only person who would then proceed to write it and have it turn out to be a good book. Scalzi is a brilliant entertainer who always produces a highly readable and enjoyable book, even when the premise is outright ridiculous.

When the Moon Hits Your Eye is an odd book whose oddities go beyond the premise. It is written with each chapter being a day in the lunar cycle, (with a few chapters at the end set later and then much later). Unlike a traditional novel that follows one or a few characters through the novel's events, here each chapter has different characters (with very few characters repeating). Not all the chapters are traditional narratives either. There is no real plot (except for a few chapters on a billionaire's attempt to hijack a space mission so he could go to the moon himself). And most of the action has characters reacting to the moon turning to cheese. The majority of the novel is comic, ranging from slapstick to satire, although it grows very serious near the end.

The book never names the type of cheese the moon becomes (although NASA refuses to call it cheese, preferring the term "organic matrix"). At a talk at the Gaithersburg Book Festival, Scalzi refused to name the specific type of cheese, although he did say this was the question he was most asked. The book also never reveals how (or why) the moon turns into cheese.

The book begins with a preface written in the style of a kids' fun facts article, "HEY KIDS! Let's learn about the moon." Day One has the director of the Armstrong Air and Space Museum learning that the museum's moon rock had somehow been stolen and replaced by cheese. A Reddit thread has comments from people who saw an exceptionally bright moon. Day Two is set in the White House Situation Room with the Chief of Staff being briefed on the moon changing to cheese. At first, the scientists think it is joke, but as they check more evidence they conclude, "It's not possible... It's also our best guess at the moment."

Other chapters show the point of view of astronauts preparing for a now-cancelled moon mission, a somewhat shady corporate figure who runs the aerospace company building the lunar lander for a now-cancelled trip to the moon, a popular science author whose newest book has a chapter about the fables of the moon being made out of green cheese, wealthy heirs who want to be the first to taste moon cheese, etc. Other chapters give the perspective of high school nerds, patrons of a small town diner, church members in Iowa, and a romantic couple who work in rival cheese shops. One chapter shows the effect on Hollywood with tons of moon and cheese puns used in movie and TV pitches.

Fans of John Scalzi have most likely already read and enjoyed When the Moon Hits Your Eye. However, I want to assure people who have been reluctant to get the book due to its silly premise and non-traditional structure that the book is highly entertaining. Yes, the book is silly in spots, with lots of humor and satire on governments and science, but it is also serious.

When the Moon Hits Your Eye shows how people remain people even when the universe no longer works the way we think it should, even when life on Earth is threatened, even when we lose faith in everything we have been taught. The humanity of the novel's characters keeps the book from dissolving in its own absurdity and provides a reason for reading the book, separate from its humor and high entertainment level.

This is also a book you can give to non-science fiction readers as it does not rely on the usual science fiction tropes and expectations, nor does it go into depth on the science involved.

John Scalzi is always dependable for a good science fiction palate cleanser. Definitely science fiction, but very light-hearted. I did not find myself laughing out loud with this one like I have with some of his other books, but it was enjoyable.

Mr. Scalzi is really great at throwing out a completely ridiculous scenario and then , not really answering the whys or hows of it, instead focusing on the people and their reactions. In this case, the moon suddenly turns into cheese, and we are off and running!
The people are now centered around this bizarre event and we get glimpses of their reactions and feelings. From scientists, conspiracy theorists, a priest having a crisis of faith, regular people trying to make sense of it all, a clueless billionaire man child, and more. The different perspectives make this a fresh and fast read. At times ridiculous, hilarious, yet hopeful and sweet make this a really good read!
**Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book early!**

First of all, I'm a big fan of John Scalzi's work. His humor resonates with me and I find his books intriguing. However, I was really not sure about the idea of a book centered around the moon spontaneously turning into cheese. I should not have worried. Scalzi pulled it off

I like how he shows the viewpoints of different people around the US. (Other countries are mentioned, but we don't get personal viewpoints. Scientists are befuddled, government officials struggle with how to keep the country from panicking, conspiracy theorists create their conspiracies, people of religious faith try to figure out where God fits into all of this... And it's all done with the humor and thought-provoking nature of John Scalzi. My only real criticism is that the ending is... fine, but also vaguely unsatisfying.

If you're skeptical, give it a try. You might be surprised. Happily, I was.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for the ebook ARC of this book.

As always, Scalzi delivers on a weird science fiction story that makes you wonder exactly how things happen and how predictable we are as a species to overreact and do what we think is right (most of us, anyway).

When The Moon Hits Your Eye is the newest novel by New York Times bestselling author John Scalzi. He mixes humor and science fiction with fantastical questions of "What if?" to create delightful, thought-provoking books. When The Moon Hits Your Eye imagines what would happen if the Earth's moon turned to cheese, with each chapter representing a day in the lunar cycle. It's a ridiculous concept and the book's Preface (written like a children's book about the moon) gives readers a reason to question what kind of book they've stumbled upon. Then we're thrown into Day One at The Armstrong Air and Space Museum in Ohio and grounded in the first of many points of view. With his magical story-telling, Scalzi hooks readers by showing a concrete setting with solid characters in such a way that they can suspend their disbelief when things start to go off-kilter. 

From a little-known town in Iowa to the very well-known city of Las Vegas, Nevada, and even the White House in Washington, D.C., When The Moon Hits Your Eye covers a wide range of people sprinkled across the United States of America. Every point of view offers a unique perspective and explores the impact our moon has on everyday lives. The story is not only told through different viewpoints, but is peppered with subreddit posts, newspaper articles, Slack channel chats, and NASA press releases to break up the narrative and add realism to the novel.

My favorite chapter is of a child with an impressive imagination who grows up into a writer who hasn't lived up to her potential - yet. It spoke to the little girl I was, and the author I have become. It was beautiful, hopeful, and brought me to tears. I didn't expect such a weird premise to pull so many emotions from me; that's Scalzi's talent. When The Moon Hits Your Eye is based on such a comical concept, but within the chosen viewpoints we get deep philosophical debates alongside religious and scientific discussions. 

If you enjoyed Scalzi's The Kaiju Preservation Society or Starter Villain, you'll appreciate this book, too. Wildly different and yet clearly written by the same master wordsmith, all three books share a sense of whimsy and amusement. While all three books are standalone novels with nothing specific in common, Scalzi notes in his Afterword and Acknowledgements that they are all about “Everyday people dealing with an extremely high-concept situation, in contemporary settings,” and "were all released in sequence."

I preordered both a hardback copy and the audiobook versions, and I did wait to listen to the audiobook before writing this review because I absolutely adore Wil Wheaton as a narrator; he brings life to Scalzi's books. I highly recommend both versions.

Fabulous. Amazing. Loved it.

I was ENGROSSED in this story. I’ve never read John Scalzi before but he is immediately an author I want to read more from.

This book is about a scientific phenomenon and many different characters and how it affects them. Each chapter focuses on a different character, some you might see multiple times if they are part of the story of another character, but otherwise they’re unique. You get the POV of government officials, writers, musicians, astronauts, scientists, producers, etc.

The most fascinating thing about Scalzi’s writing is that we spend such little time with each character, and in that short amount of time you learn so much about them and even grow to care for some of them.

I had so much fun with this. I know sci-fi is not for everyone but books like this just really do it for me.

I enjoyed this, but due to an intentional choice by Mr. Scalzi, I could put it down for weeks at a time, and return at my leisure.

This novel asks the question, "What if the moon turned into cheese one day?"

It then takes the premise very seriously and gives us answers from several different perspectives. We see reactions of cheese shop owners, astronauts, tech billionaires, politicians, etc. All framed around a single lunar cycle, where each chapter represents a day, and (the choice that pulled me out of the book) an entirely different perspective.

I don't think I'll ever meet a Scalzi book I'll dislike. But, the choice to tell this as loosely connected or thematically connected short stories, rather than with a more traditional narrative structure makes this one suffer in my estimation.

All that said, this could certainly be a me problem, and it is very well done.

If the premise pulls you in, this book is for you. If you're intrigued by Scalzi, I recommend starting elsewhere.

Thanks to @torbooks and @netgalley for the eARC.

Read June 3, 2025.

Have you ever wondered what would happen if the moon suddenly, and with no conceivable explanation, turned to cheese? No? That’s okay, because John Scalzi has and you can read about it!

Following some related, but many unrelated characters, When the Moon Hits Your Eye brings us on a journey of scientific, spiritual and technological discovery. While the story is often laugh-out-loud funny, it's also surprisingly poignant in its observation of the human experience. From astronauts navigating what it means to have trained their entire lives to land on the moon only to have their dreams dashed mere months from the finish line to three old friends discussing the end of the world at their usual booth at a diner in Oklahoma, this book may inspire some self-reflection.

When the Moon Hits Your Eye is another creative story by John Scalzi. I've yet to read anything of his that I didn't like. So what happens when the moon is suddenly made of cheese? Not just the moon in the sky but all of the moon rocks in all the labs and museums? How could this happen? How will it affect life on Earth? Is it edible? Good characters, good writing and a good conclusion.

Let me begin by saying that I have loved everything that I read by Scalzi,...until now. This book felt so random to me, maybe a thought exercise in what would so and so do if the moon turned to cheese and then all those scenarios put together to make a book. It just didn't play out well for me.

You already know this book is great. I won't hesitate to recommend to anyone who might be even a little interested.

I love John Scalzi! There isn't enough wackadoo authors out there that can hit the notes in the right way. This was that Wallace and Gromit moon cheese episode with heart.

I'm a big fan of John Scalzi's particular brand of silly sci-fi humour. Starter Villain was one of my favourite books of 2024, so I was particularly keen to read his newest release, in which the moon suddenly and inexplicably turns into cheese.

When the Moon Hits Your Eye is a book told in vignettes rather than a traditional narrative. The book begins on the day the moon undergoes its miraculous change and follows a new set of characters each day that follows. Between news reports, Reddit posts, and other media, we get an idea of how people react to their reality being turned upside down. This isn't my favourite narrative style, but it is effective in covering a large number of people and experiences, from the President of the United States to everyday people just trying to get by. I think he does try to do a little too much with this narrative style and number of characters - you don't get a chance to connect with the characters, even though some appear more than once. Some of the stories are absolutely fantastic - particularly the political sex scandal, the rival cheese shops, the young fantasy author trying to get published, and a particularly grim taping of Saturday Night Live - and made me laugh out loud or feel a lot of feelings. I think I personally would have preferred a more traditional narrative with these vignettes sprinkled in for texture, but that's just my personal preference.

That said, I really enjoyed the insights into humanity's actions and reactions to the lunar change. Imagine everything we've ever known about physics suddenly going out the window. How would you react? The selfishness, the panic, and the camaraderie we see feels particularly realistic, especially post-pandemic. I really enjoyed the stories of regular people and how they processed their new reality - it's not all about people in power heroically trying to save us all.

When the Moon Hits Your Eye is a fun science fiction read filled with Scalzi's signature humour. While it's not my favourite of his books, it's a solid read and I'd recommend it to fans of his work and apocalyptic fiction.

3.5 out of 5 stars

**Thank you to Tor Books and NetGalley for the eARC of this title!!**

I love Scalzi’s work and am so excited to get to this one!!! I ended up purchasing this book and will be posting a full review on my channels soon.

This was a very fun read! Funny, thoughtful, and far more elaborately considered for the ridiculous premise. Think Neal Stephenson by way of Animaniacs, or Space Force but even snarkier, and you'll catch the energy.
This sort of a networking novel (the zenith for me being Jennifer Egan's A Visit from the Goon Squad) with the chapter per day structure gives us an opportunity to see the dauntingly absurd situation from many different angles. As a result, we are pulled many different directions and it is more difficult to really grasp and get to know a character versus, say, Jamie in Kaiju Preservation Society.

Still, a strong read that I think could work well in either a John Scalzi major authors course or perhaps a course examining a range of fiction from soft to hard scifi.

I also have to give props to my fellow Ohioan John Scalzi for bothering to recognize my alumnus, Wapakoneta, home of the Neil Armstrong Air and Space Museum and very little else.

Thank you to Tor Books and NetGalley for access to this digital ARC for an honest review.

DNF @ 45%

This story is so incredibly stupid. I mean, I knew the concept was silly, but the execution somehow makes this concept even dumber. Probably my last Scalzi.

Seriously fun story. Scalzi has a great imagination and it’s always fine to read his stories. This one is a bit crazy. It is about the moon, turning into cheese and what happens around the world because of this occurrence and the people that it influences definitely unique and always well written check this one out.

Unfortunately not my favourite Scalzi novel. The premise sounded intriguing but I didn’t care for the short story style. The short stories would have been better if they all interconnected. I felt no connection to any character and didn’t care what happened with anyone. I did enjoy Scalzi’s trademark humour in the book. I’ll continue to pick up other Scalzi books in the future as it’s too bad this one didn’t resonate with me.