Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
A ridiculous premise--what if the moon actually was made of cheese?--is treated with a straight face in this cleverly entertaining sci-fi romp from Hugo Award winner Scalzi (the Old Man's War series). A new lunar cycle begins with a confluence of odd phenomena: the crescent moon is far brighter than it should be, and all of the lunar mineral samples on Earth have turned into cheese. This leads to the discovery that the moon itself has suddenly and inexplicably become cheese--or an "organic matrix," as NASA prefers to put it. The narrative takes the reader on a day by day journey through this unprecedented lunar cycle, with each day focusing on the perspective of a different character. This structure provides a comprehensive view of the transformation's effects, from the expected (astronauts are disappointed that their upcoming lunar mission has been canceled) to the wildly unanticipated (including the actions of an Elon Muskesque billionaire, who seizes the moment for personal gain), while also returning to enough of the established characters to keep the potential apocalypse from feeling impersonal. Scalzi's ability to balance scathing satire with heartfelt optimism shines. Agent: Ethan Ellenberg, Ethan Ellenberg Literary. (Mar.)
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Review by Library Journal Review
This story isn't really about the moon; it's all about the reactions to it--what people think and feel and write and especially do when something fundamental to their understanding of the world changes in the blink of an eye, and they just have to cope. Because the moon and all of the moon rocks ever taken back to Earth suddenly turn into cheese. There's lots of laughter, and there's plenty of panic. But as they go through one lunar cycle--one surprising month, with the moon being cheese and having moonquakes and sending out cheese meteors--the world changes. People speculate, they hunker down, and they throw out conspiracy theories. They also focus on what's important. Life goes on, and humans still act like humans in all their weird and wacky glory. The novel can be read as hopeful. It's occasionally insightful, and it's frequently absolutely hilarious. VERDICT This is chock-full of Scalzi's (Starter Villain) trademark humor, and readers who love humorous science fiction in general and this author in particular are going to be rolling on the floor laughing out loud while reading.--Marlene Harris
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
AWallace & Gromit dream is more of a nightmare in this darkly farcical science fantasy in which the moon inexplicably becomes…well, not green, but decidedly dairy. When the moon and every lunar sample on Earth transform into a cheese-like substance, it seems amusing at first, but the appearance of this newly organic, extremely unstable satellite has far-reaching, apocalyptic consequences. A variety of U.S. citizens--disappointed astronauts from newly cancelled lunar missions, scientists whose understanding of the universe has been entirely upended, writers frantically adapting their pitches, retirees at a rural diner finding solace in their friendship, a small church community looking for divine answers, bickering cheese-shop owners whose product gets both welcome and unwelcome attention, the ultra-wealthy owner of an aerospace company with a spectacularly self-involved agenda, bank executives seeking a financial angle, and government officials desperately scheduling press conferences--respond in ways grand and petty, generous and self-serving. Those responses can only escalate when a cheesy lunar fragment threatens to destroy all life on our planet. Scalzi's premise is absurd, but it's merely the pretext to take a multifaceted, satiric look at how Americans deal with large-scale crisis, something we're abundantly and recently familiar with, and will no doubt experience again in the not-so-distant future. He writes of denial, conspiracy theories, anger directed at the wrong people, unscrupulous political machinations, and multiple attempts at profiting from the end of the world, for as long as it lasts. There are moments of unexpected kindness and generosity, too. Of course, Scalzi takes aim at his favorite corporate, social, and government targets, as well as at the cheap sentiment that crisis always seems to inspire (as exemplified by a catastrophicSaturday Night Live episode). A ridiculous concept imbued with gravity, charm, humor, plausible cynicism, and pathos--and perhaps the merest touch of spite. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
