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When the Moon Hits Your Eye

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When the Moon Hits Your Eye

Written by: John Scalzi
Narrated by: Wil Wheaton
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About this listen

New York Times bestseller John Scalzi flies you to the moon with his most fantastic tale to date: When the Moon Hits Your Eye

The moon has turned into cheese.

Now humanity has to deal with it.

For some it’s an opportunity. For others it’s a moment to question their faith: In God, in science, in everything. Still others try to keep the world running in the face of absurdity and uncertainty. And then there are the billions looking to the sky and wondering how a thing that was always just there is now... something absolutely impossible.

Astronauts and billionaires, comedians and bank executives, professors and presidents, teenagers and terminal patients at the end of their lives -- over the length of an entire lunar cycle, each get their moment in the moonlight. To panic, to plan, to wonder and to pray, to laugh and to grieve. All in a kaleidoscopic novel that goes all the places you’d expect, and then to so many places you wouldn’t.

It’s a wild moonage daydream. Ride this rocket.

©2025 John Scalzi (P)2024 Audible, Inc. Adventure Editors Select Humorous Science Fiction

Editorial Review

Listen to the moon and back
Between conference calls and car-pool pickups, my days are more chaotic than ever—and there is absolutely nothing that allows me to escape my daily life as entertainingly as a new John Scalzi audiobook. The thoughtful blend of humour and heart had me laughing out loud and smiling from ear to ear, from start to finish. The unique combination of Scalzi’s brilliant and witty storytelling and Wil Wheaton’s incredible narration is science fiction at its finest. Whether you’ve ever wondered how you’d react if the moon turned into cheese or not, this production will entertain, delight and inspire you. —Esther B., Audible Editor

All stars
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Different characters, reacting to the same world events, is probably the least linear and strangest Scalzi yet.… but it works. Different than almost everything else he’s written but also with the same beloved heart and whimsy. I enjoyed it and Hope you do too.

Like A short story collection, but Scalzi

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Scalzi is brilliant at taking an absurd notion and making it into an engaging, entertaining, and thought provoking story. I enjoyed how the different characters managed “the situation”; the social commentary is pointed and intelligent. I laughed, and I cried. Wil Wheaton is fantastic throughout. Loved it in every way!

Quirky and thought provoking

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The concept of the moon turning into cheese sounds like it would make for an utterly ridiculous story, but the way people react in this book rings EXACTLY true!

Unique!

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loved the premise, the writing, the absolute weirdness of it all. great book, good read, charming and hilarious.

charmingly cheesy

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Though I really like his serious books (e.g. the Old Man's War series; wait! I forgot: his The Interdependency series is EXCELLENT), I L-O-V-E it when John Scalzi demonstrates his comic talent, introducing us to worlds that are often close to our own, but with a twist; it makes many of the books quite believable :-) :-) :-) Redshirts is the best example of this, but When The Moon Hits Your Eye is a great addition to his comedic fiction line-up. Give it a listen; it's AWESOME :-) :-) :-) (E.g.s of his other, awesome comedic fiction are: Agent To The Stars, The Android's Dream [it's not about what the name has you thinking it is], Constituent Service, a number d the stories in Miniatures, The President's Brain is Missing, and Starter Villain)
P.S. I don't know what was going on while John Scalzi wrote the Audible Original series The Dispatcher, but whatever it was negatively affected his work; for example, the 2nd book in the Series, Murder By Other Means, has a huge mistake near the beginning (oh! SLIGHT spoiler): a police officer's OFFICIAL notebook is a spiral-bound book with UNNUMBERED pages. Um, yeah... using a notebook like that would negate the officer's trial usefulness; the Defence attorney(s) would rightfully point out that there is no guarantee that the officer hadn't torn out relevant pages. :-(

Another example of John Scalzi at his comic best :-)

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How the h@ll does Scalzi take such a stupid idea and make it so good? It sounds so dumb, the moon turning into cheese, but he turned it into something deep, profound and touching. Some of the vignettes start out silly, like the author is just doing a bit, then you end up crying. There are so many profound moments and ruminations that you can't believe a you're buying into this ridiculous premise. And you're not fooling anyone, Mr Scalzi, you love all those 'whey' puns.

This is a great story full of laughs, emotional roller coasters and one of the best church sermons I've ever read.

And Will Wheaton's performance is flawless, as usual

What the h@ll?

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Love Wil’s narration! The story was a fun romp through an interesting premise. Don’t expect any hard science.

Funny “what if”

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Essentially a series of short stories about various people reacting to the moon changing into cheese. Some of the stories are touching and captivating, some are "why am I still listening to this"? The reason why I was still listening is because Wil Wheaton is one of the best audiobook narrators in the business. If you're looking for a good story with a great plot you should probably look elsewhere. If you're looking for a snack buffet of ideas then you might be in the right place.

Not His Best

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Some of the characters were interesting, but many were not. I’ll probably forget everything by the end of the year

Okay, and kind of forgettable, if entertaining at times

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The cheesiest book in the most fabulous way. The fun I really needed right now. Don't think, sit back and enjoy.

Pure fun!

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