I’ve been enjoying my NetGalley membership lately. The site offers Advanced Reader Copies (ARCs) of upcoming books to journalists, librarians, educators, booksellers, and other reviewers. I’m looking forward to sharing the more interesting titles I come across here.
I was excited to see an ARC of John Scalzi’s next novel, releasing March 25, 2025, was available for preview. But reading the description of When the Moon Hits Your Eye, I tempered my enthusiasm. The moon has turned into cheese? Seriously, John? Speculative fiction often plays fast and loose with science, but this was pushing it—more liberties than a U.S. President at a porn star convention.
This is the third in trilogy of fun explorations of the wackier fringes of science fiction, before Scalzi returns to the serious Old Man’s War series later this year. The first entry, The Kaiju Preservation Society, was entertaining but mostly forgettable, and not one of Scalzi’s strongest. The next book, Starter Villain, was absolutely delightful, a fun riff on the conventions of spy fiction, and evidence that Scalzi needs to continue to work cats into his work. Where would this one fall? The basic premise just sounded so… well, dumb… that if it was anyone other than someone I had total faith in like Scalzi, Mary Robinette Kowal, or Travis Baldree, I’d have skipped it. But it was Scalzi, so I dove in.
And man, was I surprised at how much thought I’ve given this damn book. On the surface, it tickles the same synapses as Scalzi’s other humorous works like Starter Villain and Redshirts. Over double the US RDA of cheese puns and snarky quips that will undoubtably be delightful when ready by Wil Wheaton in the upcoming Audible audiobook.
But what lingered was something deeper. When the fundamental reality of your universe shifts (and the moon turning to cheese qualifies), how does that affect people? Throw in a potentially world-ending threat, and Scalzi delivers surprisingly touching glimpses into how different lives—young lovers, rural preachers, billionaires and con artists—adapt to chaos.
The structure is both fascinating and frustrating, and is something I’d like to experiment with in my own writing. Each chapter focuses on a single day and a new character. Some figures reappear in different roles, but the protagonist isn’t a person—it’s humanity itself. There’s no villain, no problem to "solve," just a universe suddenly throwing out the rulebook. (Well, at least the rules about celestial bodies not spontaneously turning into dairy products.) This approach allows Scalzi to balance humor with poignant character moments, and it works—though I wish we got more time with some of the most intriguing characters.
I posted my Goodreads review yesterday, and yet today I still find myself writing more about it. That’s a lot of impact for a book about a cheese moon. The release timing couldn’t be better, with our political reality upheaved into a state of stupidity and insanity that a book that finds delightful moments in a time when everything seems to be falling apart is just what we need right now.
So you can definitely take this as a recommendation.
Preorder from your local bookstore, Powell’s, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or get in the queue now at the library.
Here’s my GoodReads review, reposted to save you a click…
I was thrilled to get an early read of this novel—I’ve devoured almost everything Scalzi has written. He’s a versatile and consistently entertaining writer, whether he’s tackling serious stories like the Old Man’s War and Interdependency series or exploring the delightful absurdity of Starter Villain.
Scalzi has never let me down. So despite a premise that made Kaiju Preservation Society sound like hard science fiction, I dove in. Earth’s moon has… turned into cheese? Potential snarky comments about Scalzi’s writing curdling in a similar fashion are so obvious that I’d be milking a cheap joke by making them—so I’ll grate-fully refrain before things get whey out of hand. And to my pleasant surprise, I loved this book.
I went in knowing nothing about When the Moon Hits Your Eye beyond a premise so ridiculous it felt like Scalzi had written it on a dare. What I got was a roller coaster of young love, existential dread, writer’s block, last chances, and the terrifying realization that the universe has suddenly stopped playing by the rules. (Oh, and a thin slice of billionaire karma.)
Each chapter unfolds over a different day, starting with the moon’s sudden dairy-based transformation and spiraling from there. You’ll meet fantastic characters, encounter surprisingly poignant explorations of reality and mortality, and find a bit of painfully observant commentary on how society reacts to the inexplicable.
All in a book about the moon turning into cheese.
Make no mistake—this novel does not take itself seriously. If you’re here for cheese puns, you will leave deeply satisfied.
If I have one complaint, it’s that some characters were so compelling I felt a little robbed getting only a single chapter with them, with maybe a supporting appearance in a later chapter. I’m not saying I want an Old Man’s War-length saga about celestial bodies turning into various foodstuffs, but I would love to spend more time with Lessa Sarah and Nelson, the cheese shop kids, or the Oklahoma guys.
But when a plate of just cheese leaves you wanting more after you’ve cleaned it off—that’s some damn good cheese. And this is a damn entertaining book.
Thanks to NetGalley and Tor Books for the advance copy of this delightful novel!