"Half science, half magic -- entirely fantastic'' reads the banner on the cover of The Philosopher's Flight (Simon & Schuster, digital galley), an exuberant tale from ER doctor turned novelist Tom Miller. In his alternate history of the World War I era, Montana teenager Robert Weekes is that rare thing -- a male practitioner of empirical philosophy, a complicated magical science dominated by strong, talented women. Working with his war hero mom, Robert proves talented enough at sigilry -- managing the natural elements by signing -- that he wins a scholarship to all-female Radcliffe College. There, he must prove himself again and again to his classmates and professors even as he dreams of joining a flying corps of military medics working in France. He also falls in love with political activist Danielle, who is helping defend empirical philosophers from violent attacks by  fervent conservatives known as Trenchers. It's all wonderfully funny and complicated, although Robert's "aw shucks'' narration gets old. (His boyhood nickname is the embarrassing Boober). It also comes to a screeching halt before Robert can detail his wartime adventures, so here's hoping there's a follow-up.

from On a Clear Day I Can Read Forever

An interesting read, at times a little dragg-y for me. But I would still recommend to general readers.

This is a genre bending novel that crosses all lines and brings it all together beautifully.

"The Philosopher's Flight" eBook was published in 2018 and was written by Tom Miller. This is Mr. Miller's first publication.

I categorize this novel as ‘R’ because it contains scenes of Violence and Mature Situations. The story is set in an alternate history. An Earth where magic is both possible and common. The story is set in the time of World War I with the primary character being 18 year old Robert Weekes.

Weekes uses empirical philosophy, a branch of philosophy (magic) that is almost entirely dominated by women. His dream is to be part of the elite US Sigilry Corps Rescue and Evacuation Service. A group that is exclusively female. He has read and heard stories about the Sigilry Corps all of his life. His mother was a hero of the Corps during earlier military actions. Now he wants to find a way to join up and aid allied soldiers at war in Europe.

An attack by those opposed to the use of magic gives him the opportunity to show what he is capable of. That leads to a scholarship to study Philosophy at the almost all female Radcliffe College. He must overcome the bigotry of the women who surround him. He meets a young heroine of the war, Danielle Hardin, at Radcliffe. Soon they are more than simply friends, which brings a touch of romance to the story Not only must Weekes overcome the resentment of his classmates, but he must survive further attacks by those that want to see magic outlawed.

I thoroughly enjoyed the nearly 10 hours I spent reading this 433 page young adult alternate history fantasy. While this was another 'young magician off to face the challenges of school' story, I thought that it took a refreshingly different approach. I liked the characters created for this story and look forward to reading more in this series. I am not a fan of the cover art. I give this novel a 4.8 (rounded up to a 5) out of 5.

Further book reviews I have written can be accessed at https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/.

My book reviews are also published on Goodreads (https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/31181778-john-purvis).

Very thought-provoking and interesting read. The concept was mind-blowingly amazing.

I liked the concept and the writing was good. There was something, whatever it was I can't really pinpoint, why this book didn't wow me. The characters were flushed out, the plot was engaging, and I genuinely enjoyed it. Maybe it was just the mood that I was in when I read it? Whatever the reason, I think that if you're curious about this book and are interested in reading it your time won't be wasted doing so!

I loved that this book. It has an interesting premise, in that philosophers (the books name for those who perform magic) are almost exclusively women. I couldn't put it down.

There were a few things that I liked about this book: that took science and magic and blended them together into one entity, and that it dealt with real-life issues that are being faced in society today. However, there were a couple of major issues that kept this book from being great for me, those being the profuse swearing and innuendo. Maybe I'm a bit old-fashioned, but I don't enjoy those kinds of things. The plot was interesting enough to make me hold out until the end in spite of them. In the end, I probably wouldn't recommend this book due to those factors, especially to those who are easily offended by stuff like that. Special thanks, however, for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

I have posted the following review on my blog, Chronicles of a Book Hoarder, and on Goodreads:

The Philosopher’s Flight will always have a special place in my heart because it was the first advance reader copy I received from a publisher.  I would like to thank Simon & Schuster for granting my request to read it!  With that being said, my excitement over receiving an ARC has not biased my opinion.  I really enjoyed The Philosopher’s Flight and would recommend it to any fantasy-lovers out there looking for a unique read.

The Philosopher’s Flight isn’t really like anything I have read before.  The closest equivalent I can think of is The Magicians by Lev Grossman, but that is still pretty far off the mark.  It is a blend of historical fiction and fantasy that is set in an alternate version of the early Twentieth Century.  In this alternate reality, people have discovered “empirical philosophy,” an arcane branch of science that is effectively a system of magic.  Empirical philosophers can do things like teleport, send messages long-distance, and fly.  But there is one catch—typically only women are able to practice empirical philosophy.

The main character, Robert Weekes, is one of the rare men who have philosophical abilities.  He wants to enlist in the ongoing war (World War One) as a rescue and evacuation philosopher, but no one takes him seriously because he isn’t a woman.  However, against the odds, he proves his potential in a daring emergency rescue in his home state and earns a spot in a philosophical program at Radcliffe College in Boston.  He takes off for Boston to become a philosopher but soon learns that, even though he has gotten into a philosophical program, he must still overcome several obstacles to obtain his dreams.

The most interesting part of The Philosopher’s Flight is the world-building.  It is neat to see how Miller has developed this alternate reality that has a lot of the features we have (such as large cross-country transportation hubs), only based on a type of magic rather than electricity.  And his world is fully-fleshed and creative without being difficult to understand.  I have noticed that fantasy authors sometimes spend too much time setting the stage for their worlds with tons of description, which can get a little tedious after a while.  Miller just jumps right in without a lot of background information, yet his world still feels detailed and real.

The world-building isn’t the only draw of the story, though.  The Philosopher’s Flight has a little bit of everything—adventure, college shenanigans, romance, and battles of good v. evil.  In the foreground, Robert is trying to fit in and prove himself in a college full of women while in the background there are several political struggles taking place.  World War One is in full force, and there are hints of anti-war v. pro-war sentiments.  There is also an ongoing conflict between “The Trenchers,” an anti-philosophy semi-terrorist group, and philosophers.  These two conflicts add tensions and drama to the book, especially when Robert’s love interest becomes involved in politics.

Miller’s attempt to turn the gender discrimination norm on its head is another thought-provoking facet of the Philosopher’s Flight, especially considering the gender inequalities that existed during that time period.  I think that the gender switch adds interesting dynamics to the story, and Miller effectively conveys how absurd gender discrimination is without becoming heavy-handed or preachy.

Overall, I thought that the Philosopher’s Flight was enjoyable.  I am not sure if people who aren’t fans of fantasy would really like it, but I think most fantasy fans probably would.  If you do read it and enjoy it, a second book is scheduled to come out in June 2019.

For anyone who has been suffering withdrawal from the end of a certain magical boy wizard series, The Philosopher's Flight by Tom Miller is the perfect antidote! It's clever, and sharp, but also a quick read based on alternative history where special "powers" can do different things, and one boys journey to"fit in" this world where girls rule! The opposite sexism is interesting (women typically have the most refined powers and go to war, do the dangerous stuff, etc.) and Robert wants to do everything the women do - and we see if he attains that goal, while facing some pretty crazy "roadblocks" along the way.

I love stories that take me away to another place - get me out of reality and imagine what life would be like if things were "different". And this book does just that. It's very clever how it's pretty historically accurate, just with this twist of Sigilry, these signs and symbols drawn to move energy and ultimately produce some sort of effect (hovering/flying, restoring health, moving an object, sending messages). There are great stories of friendship, interesting characters, and stories of love as well. All wrapped up in a creative story of action, adventure and social-awareness.

There are a few "racy" scenes...so I'd recommend a more mature audience, but its fantastic all-around in general. I'm excited to see if the Philosopher Flies Again! Thanks NetGalley!

Thank you to the publisher for sending me a copy of this book to review.

This book was a lot of fun to read. The world that Miller built was full of history and larger than life characters.  However, I did have one issue with the main point of the book and that was the philosophy; what is with the whole gender thing? This is not really explained in the book, or if it is it is not explained well. To give you a bit of background, this society has women and some men who can do empirical philosophy, where they are basically Alchemists. At some points in the book, empirical philosophy is treated as something that you are born with and other times it is something that anyone can learn. So what is it? Can you only learn certain parts of philosophy and others you are just born with? And why is it dominated by women? Also, who discovered it?

And though I did have a lot of questions these don't really affect the story THAT much so you can easily look over them if you just want to read it for entertainment.

And back to the whole man-woman dynamic in the book; I think this book has some pretty interesting social commentary on sexes. When I began reading the book, I was under the impression that it was a matriarchal society due to how revered the philosophers were and since most of them were women it made sense. However, this book is still set in America during the early 20th century and the author kept the social norms of the time. Back to the whole gender dynamic, since Robert is living in a woman's world he is ostracized by his peers and mentors for being male. This is interesting because this it flipped the script and offered a fresh perspective.

Now to the rest of the story, I did like the characters. They were not flat and most of them were quite interesting. I did have an issue with all of the interchangings of names but again that is some that could be overlooked. In terms of the plot, it moves well but could be predictable sometimes, especially because towards the end the quotes before the chapters started telling you spoilers of what happens to the characters after the story ends. This was nice because it was a standalone novel so it wrapped everything up nice but it did take a bit of the excitement out of the end because you knew what Robert was going to do.

Overall, this was a pretty fun read and I do recommend it to people who want something interesting and distinct world. I did not have any really big issues with the book other than all of my questions about empirical philosophy.

This one was a hit for me. A Steampunkish take on magic, in which it is accomplished via drawing intricate designs with different powders (the one using bone-meal causes a particularly grisly death). The setting is America circa WWI, and our main character is Robert Weekes, a rare male philosopher (the term for magic users) who is pursuing his magical education in hopes of being a rescue flyer in the war. 

The author, Tom Miller, is an ER doctor, and worked as an EMT while writing this book. I, too, began my career in medicine as an EMT, and I can appreciate the accuracy of details concerning the many rescue and medical scenes. I can tell this guy has run emergency medical calls, and it is a perspective that not only adds realism, but also informs his take on the place of magic in this world. The philosophers are kind of like emergency-jack-of-all-trades, with a primary duty being medical rescue (hence Robert’s dream of being a rescue flyer). They use magic combatively, at times, but it isn’t going out and zapping ghouls with magic lightning bolts; it’s mostly using magic to save people from fires and gunshot wounds and near-drownings. It’s the sort of day dream a medic who loves fantasy might have on a long, boring shift – “what if we could fly to the next call, and sedate our injured patient with magic?”

The concept is top notch and Miller gives us a unique take on magic, although I wish there was more meatiness to the world building. I don’t know how to describe it, but there is a subtle difference between reading Lev Grossman’s “The Magicians” and this book. This one is good, but reading Grossman you really feel like you are in Brakebills University, the world has an aliveness, an electricity, that pulls you in – I think Miller can get there with this series (this was his first novel, after all), and that immersive atmosphere that really makes the world come alive can earn him the fifth star.

Brilliant book! I was so enthralled by it I finished the book in a day and a half.

Imagine a world where the patriarchy is flipped. Where women who have unusuual skills (think those traditonally associated with “witches” like flying, healing, and magic) have shaped the world and women have power. Now imagine that the son of one of the most decorated “Philosophers” wants to join what seems to be the equivalent of the Air Force, but to do so he must graduate from the Philosopher program at Radcliffe, where he one of only 3 men.

And that’s only the tip of the proverbial iceberg.

Miller has built a world that is at once familiar and topsy-turvy, and made that world a whole lot of fun. There’s unbounded humor and imagination here along with plenty of breathtaking excitement. Recommended.

This book has an interesting premise but the writing style was too flat for me. I also didn't care for the world building in this book so I abandoned it. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

The Philosopher's Flight is an alternative historical fiction that plays with gender dynamics quite wonderfully. Our main character, Robert Weekes, is a male who wants to serve in the military in the female-dominated US Sigilry Corps Rescue and Evacuation Service. The Corps uses empirical philosophy which is a magical ability in this world where anyone willing to learn can, however, females are naturally more adept at the art and science of it. Robert has learned empirical philosophy through helping and working with his mother who is a Veteran of the military. She set up shop in rural Montana using her abilities to help locals. Robert isn't meant to stay under his mother's wing forever, though, and he ends up getting a scholarship to an all-female college to learn and hone his philosophical abilities.

Most of the book is spent on worldbuilding; in fact, I think that's what most of the book was. We learn the nitty-gritty details of the magic system while not actually advancing the plot. It slows the book down immensely. The extreme focus on the magic system didn't help the characters grow, either, They all fell very flat for me.

Additionally, I don't think the historical setting added much to the novel; it actually felt much more like modern day. There are people who oppose all magic, the Trenchers, who end up feeling very much like the extreme right-wing parties of today. Sure, it's trying to send a message, but it wasn't incorporated well enough. It actually ends up being a stark contrast. Female-dominated super-awesome magic is still oppressed by political/social parties when the start of the book flipped gender dynamics around with a male having dreams of getting into a female-dominated military unit. It just kind of stunk that it flipped the dynamics back to equal playing fields, and thus doesn't make the story as inspiring as it could've been. Sure, it's always nice to have female characters overcome challenges, but our main character is male, and he is the one supposed to overcome said challenges.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

"And what is empirical philosophy – what is sigilry – except a branch of science that we don’t yet fully understand? There’s no dark art to it; it’s nothing more than the movement of energy to produce a physical effect."

Robert Weekes dreams of being the first male in the US Sigilry Corps Rescue and Evacuation Service, a team of flying medics serving in World War I. Instead, he’s stuck in Montana, helping his mother – a former soldier in several previous wars and the County Philosopher – serve the locals. When a local family is tragically murdered, Robert gets to put his skills to the test and earns a scholarship to study at Radcliffe, an all-female school in Boston. There, he will have to prove his mettle to the women who don’t believe men have the ability – or the right – to be in their exclusive field.

The Philosopher's Flight was a fun genre mash-up of fantasy and historical fiction. Although it took me a little longer than normal to immerse myself in this world of empirical philosophy, it was well worth the journey.

One of most fascinating aspects of this book is that it takes gender roles and stands them on their heads. It was not a perfect reversal, nor was it supposed to be; that would be boring. Instead, Tom Miller created this interesting power dynamic where women were superior in the field of empirical philosophy – they were powerful smokecarvers and hoverers, doctors, and generals – to the exclusion of men. Not that men weren’t inherently lesser in society – the president of the United States was a man, and even the president of Radcliffe was a male philosophical cartographer – but they were seen as absolutely inept at anything that could be construed as “practical” philosophy (i.e. hovering and smokecarving).

Although I felt that this book was a little light in terms of gender equality because men still seemed to have a large role in society as a whole, it still has the ability to open the dialogue for interesting conversations. For me, one the most powerful aspects of this book was the way it made me reverse “traditionally” male titles in my mind. Whenever there was mention of a Doctor or a General or a Professor, the first unconscious inclination (even for me, a female) was to picture a male, but that’s not true in this book. Instead, the doctors and generals and professors were all female. It was an interesting test of conditioning, and I might just have to apply it to everyday life.

I didn't realize that this was going to be the first book in a series. I will definitely be keeping my eye out for the sequel(s) in the future!

Tom Miller has woven a fantastic tale with a world at war with the use of magic. Robert is a country rube, who has lived his life in the shadow of his mother and sisters with their undeniable talent. Lines have been drawn in the fight between the sexes, escalating because women naturally have more talent in philosophy - the science of magic. When philosophy entered the wars horrible acts were committed bringing resulting in the common man fearing the abuse of women's philosophical powers. Robert is the outsider having to prove himself in a woman's world, rife with the prejudice, slander and prosaic attitudes. He learns self-control and discovers he can believe in himself, even against the odds.

I felt connected to Robert, and his struggle to fit into the world with his big dreams. I also liked how his mother was pragmatic and no-nonsense. The women attending the school became a blur. I knew Jake came from a privileged background, was very talented and beautiful. I didn't feel like I understood her motivation in accepting Robert into their tight-knit group. Danielle was another character I wish I knew a little better. She also came from a wealthy background, but still faced racial slurs.  Even though she suffered with post traumatic syndrome from the war as a demon for her character motivation, I still wanted to see more out of her and why she chose Robert.

I frequently read old literature, and Miller employs some of the characteristics of antiquated novels. He includes descriptions of the place and time, which increased my understanding of the world where his characters reside. Some readers may dislike the amount of exposition. He also used antiquated terms for lesbians, who are found more frequently among the empirical philosophers. There are a few chapters with heterosexual sex scenes, which would nix it as a "clean fantasy".

Overall, I liked Miller's novel, the fun and thoughtful world he developed and particularly liked his character Robert Weekes. I would recommend this book for adults.

A really good book from start to end. Miller paints a world in the past a little like ours brought to life with a unique take on magic. Really enjoyed it.

I really wanted to like this book. The premise was exciting. It took a very different spin on the magic and fantasy genre. But in the end, it just didn’t do a lot for me.

Essentially, The Philosopher’s Flight is a story of overcoming discrimination. It was a novel idea that in the universe of this book, women were the true power, but the fact that the one trying to overcome discrimination was a white male made it ring false. I would have found it more believable if women were the truly powerful ones, but the men foolishly wouldn't believe it, or at least not acknowledge it.

A few of the characters were really well done, but the majority of them blended together in a faceless crowd of extras. Even the ones that stood out from the crowd, I didn’t really like. I really like to see flawed characters, but these just seemed whiny and incapable of making a smart decision.

Each chapter opened with a passage from the Philosophical world. Some of the passages were even attributed to characters in the story, probably even that chapter. It was a nice touch, but at the same time, the passages were dated into the future. It took away some of the suspense. How can I be worried about ‘John Smith’ being in mortal danger when I already know he wrote a book three years from then?

The redeeming qualities of this book are the world-building and the magic system. Both are extremely well done. The world is a great mix of fantasy with historical-fiction. The magic system is familiar enough to be comfortable, but different enough to remain unique. Despite a luke-warm impression off of this book, I think I'd read another book set in Tom Miller's world.