Sasu reviewed When the Moon Hits Your Eye by John Scalzi
The moon has turned into cheese.
Now humanity has to deal with it.
For some …
Amusing, but doesn't live up to its potential
3 stars
Content warning Some discussion of plot structure and hints about the ending
I listened to John Scalzi's When the Moon Hits Your Eye because the combination of the premise and Scalzi's reputation for irreverence reminded me of the film Don't Look Up, which I remember as one of the best movies I've seen in recent years. Perhaps that was not the most ideal place to read from, but that's where I started anyway.
In short, I found the book amusing with a few good moments. However, having listened to the whole thing, I'm left with the sense that it was too #superficial to be satisfying. Some scenes did go a bit deeper, especially those that dealt to any significant degree with the emotional implications of the impending #apocalypse, but on the whole, I thought that the opportunities for #satire afforded by the #absurdity of a moon made of cheese were used mostly for simpler humor instead.
I think that the chapter involving #writing deserves special mention. I experienced it as the most moving part of the book by far and suspect that it might have been even stronger standing on its own as a short story, possibly with a bit added for context.
I was surprised and somewhat aggravated by the abrupt twist near the end, but what I thought was really clever about it despite my frustration was the amount of #doubt that was left open as the book ended.
From the afterword, I got the sense that this book probably would have been more satisfying if I had approached it from the perspective of a dyed-in-the-wool Scalzi fan (which I am not, even if I often enjoy his writing) who just wanted to read something amusing, be entertained, and enjoy some light satire. I can also imagine that the lightness of the satire might make it something of a "gateway" to considering things from a different perspective for anyone who would find something like Don't Look Up difficult to digest.
#Scalzi #JohnScalzi #DontLookUp #WhentheMoonHitsYourEye #Moon #Cheese #CheeseMoon #Luna #Caseus #ScalziFan
