In John Scalzi’s When the Moon Hits Your Eye, the moon has turned to cheese, what now?
So, When the Moon Hits Your Eye did not work for me for a couple of reasons. First, the structure of the story, looking at an event from a variety of perspectives as they experience it, is one that is hard for me to stay engaged with. Second, I had a hard time reading this story in this particular moment. I found reading about governments responding competently and listening to scientists painful at a moment when the infrastructure of the government of my nation is being dismantled with a sledgehammer and scientists are being treated like parasites. Other people may find it comforting.
There were things I liked. This is still a book written by John Scalzi so it’s got some very funny and engaging moments. The revelation in chapter one of the moon rocks suddenly becoming cheese is a strong start. Some of the moments of perspective are great. I very much enjoyed the way the tech billionaire character ended.
One of the reasons that Kaiju Preservation Society worked so well was that it met the moment in which it was published with hope and creativity. It was such a relief to read a book that addressed the realities of Covid and then moved to an alternate reality. The billionaires sucked and were hoist on their own petard. The tech billionaire in Moon was something of a double edged sword. On the one hand his ending is delightfully ignominious. But in this moment in time, it feels watered down. It’s not Scalzi’s fault that the political reality changed before publication. I’m looking forward to his next book.
Again, my experience is mine. Other people will find it fun and comforting.
I received this as an advance reader copy from Tor and NetGalley. My opinions are my own, freely and honestly given.
