When the Moon Hits Your Eye

When the Moon Hits Your Eye (2024) is a satirical science fiction novel by John Scalzi. In the novel, the moon suddenly transforms into a mass of cheese. The story follows the global social, political, and emotional fallout of the moon’s sudden metamorphosis, interweaving the perspectives of scientists, politicians, artists, bankers, and ordinary people as they navigate both meaning and survival. The novel explores themes of Societal Adaptation to Change, The Intersection of Science and Belief, and The Role of Politics and Power During a Crisis. 

Scalzi is best known for his Hugo Award-winning novel Redshirts and his long-running Old Man’s War series, which blend speculative fiction with humor and social commentary.

This guide refers to the 2025 Tor e-book edition.

Content Warning: The source material and guide feature depictions of illness, death, suicidal ideation, addiction, sexual content, and cursing.

Plot Summary

At the Armstrong Air and Space Museum in Ohio, executive director Virgil Augustine discovers that their moon rock sample has turned into cheese. He contacts Space Center Houston, where officials confirm the same transformation. The moon itself appears unusually large and bright. Scientists and experts at the White House confirm that the moon has changed in size, composition, and appearance. Now composed of an “organic matrix” (because scientists hesitate to call it “cheese”), the new moon—dubbed “Caseus”—features geysers and atmospheric instability, though its mass remains the same. President Brett Boone’s administration assures the public that there is no immediate danger, but officials admit behind the scenes that they do not understand what has happened.

NASA halts space missions, putting a planned moon landing on hold. Though few see the new moon as dangerous, public disbelief and confusion follow. Dayton Bailey, an academic whose pop-science book jokingly explored the science behind the moon turning into cheese, finds himself in high demand after the moon’s transformation. Many people turn to religion for answers, but even churches struggle to interpret the event. Meanwhile, cheese becomes a cultural obsession, with cheese shops experiencing a boom in business. In Wisconsin, two rival shops serve as the setting for a romance between part-time employees Felix and Annette.

As NASA suspends space missions, billionaire Jody Bannon is desperate to protect his aerospace company’s financial future. He leverages his wealth to influence senators and representatives, who pressure NASA to keep his launch on schedule. As CEO of PanGlobal Aerospace, Jody must land on the moon to fulfill a government contract. NASA reluctantly agrees to proceed but modifies the mission’s objectives: Instead of a lunar landing, the operation will consist of low-Earth-orbit simulations using HMS (human modeling system) bots in place of a live crew.

Jody hijacks the moon lander, Major Tom, and illegally launches himself to the moon. NASA scrambles to make the moon-landing mission look like an intentional choice. Jody dies when a geyser erupts during landing. His death, broadcast to the world, becomes a cultural flashpoint. The resulting lunar explosion sends a massive fragment—Lunar One—hurtling toward Earth. Scientists calculate that it will impact the planet in just over two years, initiating a slow-burn apocalypse.

The public and private sectors respond in various ways. At BancUsonia, executives create a credit card program offering high limits and low interest rates to people attempting to close their accounts, assuming that most believe they will not live long enough to repay the debt. Government officials choose to avoid publicly acknowledging the threat to prevent panic. Across the country, civilians hold “Flip Off the Moon” parties to protest and process their fear. A student-led protest outside a Wisconsin cheese shop nearly escalates into extreme property damage before being calmed.

Personal stories unfold alongside the broader crisis. Retired professor Clyde Ramsey invites two old friends, Dave and Alton, to ride out the apocalypse together. Fantasy writer Lessa Sarah Cirrincione considers giving up on her novel due to the looming threat. Her husband, Hector, encourages her to keep writing, and she agrees to finish the book for him. Jackie Hyland visits her terminally ill ex-husband, Ian Smythe, a famous musician. After his death, she receives a guitar and the rights to his music, honoring their complicated shared past.

Pastor James at Meadow Hill Church offers reassurance to his congregation while struggling with his own faith. During one service, a distraught congregant named Caleb disrupts the sermon and challenges James to explain why faith matters in a world facing destruction. James responds with a message of companionship and purpose, pledging to face the end with his community.

Other plotlines explore political and cultural fallout. A congressional sex scandal involving a NASA jumpsuit and cheese garners media attention. A live taping of Saturday Night Live devolves into chaos when the humor falls flat. The White House hosts a formal eclipse viewing party, where Dayton and astronaut LeMae Anderson realize that something has changed. The eclipse—previously expected to be total due to the enlarged moon—appears annular. They determine that the original moon, which NASA now refers to as “Luna,” has returned. Lunar One vanishes.

The next day, President Boone confirms Luna’s return. NASA announces that the threat is gone, although the reasons for the moon’s replacement and restoration remain unknown. While Luna appears stable, NASA continues to monitor for any sign of Caseus returning.

Over time, public opinion shifts. One year after Luna’s return, Reddit and conspiracy forums suggest that the entire cheese-moon event was a hoax orchestrated by governments or corporations. Rumors claim that Jody faked his death and that the moon never changed. By the 10-year anniversary, one third of Americans no longer believe that Caseus existed. One hundred years later, official sources label it “The Caseusian Hoax” and attribute it to a media and technology conspiracy. The moon samples and events are dismissed as part of a coordinated deception.