Tom Miller (13)

Robert Weekes is just a boy. He’s like many another boy growing up in Montana at the outset of the 20th century. With the slight rarity that he can fly. He’s not especially good at it, as his older sisters and mother regularly remind him. Yet when evil times force him to rescue his mother and two others in the middle of a tremendous storm by flying them to the hospital in Billings, he dreams of doing the same on the front line as part of the US Sigilry Corps’ Rescue and Evacuation show more team. He knows there’s never been a man in R&E. But a young boy can dream. His heroics in Montana win him a Contingency placement at Radcliffe College where he will be trained by some of the best sigilrists in America. One step closer to his dream, perhaps. Or maybe it will be the end of him. Can he survive the rigours of the training, the humiliations heaped upon him by the young women who can all (or nearly all) fly the pants off him, the loneliness of life in Boston, and the personal dangers of the anti-sigilrist movement, which also happens to be headquartered in Boston?

Tom Miller has added a wealth of attractive and intriguing elements to the stew he is brewing in his narrative cauldron. Apart from Robert’s individual story, Miller has to present a plausible alternative American history filled with sigilrists, or smoke carvers, the vast majority of whom are women. It’s a robustly imagined world, with no small amount of violence, death, arson, sexual flowering, and politics. Nasty! But it doesn’t take long for Miller to gain our sympathies for young Robert and the very real dangers he faces. All with telling echoes, if not parallels, in real America. Plus, it’s a page turner. Almost begging to be continued in a series.

Gently recommended. show less

You know that thing where you start reading a book and, almost from word one, it grabs you in that way that lets you know it is absolutely going to be one of your favorite books ever but then you get nervous and you back off of that assessment because you don't want to be disappointed since you aren't certain where the plot is going and what if the author ruins what is essentially a perfect-for-you novel with something ridiculously out of character but then, as you are speeding to the end, show more you find that everything unfolds in an acceptable way and now you have turned the last page and can certify that you are indeed satisfied and that this was an amazing read? Yeah. That.

The Philosopher's Flight starts with Tom Miller's dedication:
For Abby--
Who once asked why there were so few women in my stories
And For My Mom--
Who read to me every night when I was young
This sets up an amazing alternate history where (mostly) women have discovered a way to harness the powers of the natural world in order to do things like grow crops faster, teleport, fly, and control smoke. These things are not done with magic but simply with elemental powders, hand movements, and natural ability. This is, of course, resented by some and declared to be devilry by others. And yet the women have established themselves as soldiers, problem solvers, and so much more. Now it is the early 1900s and Robert Weekes, son of an empirical philosopher, finds that he has enough talent that is worth exploring that he decides to apply for college -- unorthodoxly to Radcliffe, a women's college in Boston, incredibly far from his Montana home. He is accepted and begins his year of proving his talents in order to land the job he has always felt destined to do--one that a man has never done before.

There was so much to love in this story. My absolute favorite thing was that this was not an alternate history where women just have power and so they rule the world. The men in this story begrudgingly accept the worth of what the women do but, at the same time, resent that they are sometimes dependent and therefore try their hardest to trivialize women by, for example, taking away their right to vote. None of this was actually in the story itself but rather in the quotes at the beginning of each chapter, as historical records from both the past and future. This complexity is felt in the story though in the way that Robert is treated when he begins to enter the very feminine realm of empirical philosophy. He is polite and humble and careful but it doesn't matter because he is an outsider. And yet he still finds connections with staff and students and takes just about everything as a learning experience. He makes mistakes and has successes and learns more than just the techniques of his art. This book was just so thoughtful and complex and yet a bit innocent in that endearing way that a first novel sometimes is. Sigh. Yes, I loved it.

https://webereading.com/2018/05/new-release-philosophers-flight.html show less

I love books about alternate history. But The Philosopher's Flight is something more....a combination of fantasy, sci-fi, alternate history...and pure magic.

The Basics: Certain symbols, called sigils, can be used to focus power. That power can be used for mundane things like making plants grow larger, curing illness or even flying, but also for more destructive actions like killing 40,000 enemy soldiers in one battle during the Civil War. Although some men can wield the power, women are show more much more talented at being Empirical Philosophers and using sigils. Most counties in the United States have a resident philosopher to help with emergencies. Maj. Emmaline Weekes is a county philosopher in Montana in 1917. Her son Robert helps by ordering supplies, cooking and being support for his mother. America is entering the Great War in Europe. President Wilson has just announced a declaration of war against The German Empire. Robert;s dream is to fly Rescue & Evac, but women are much more talented at flying than men. The elite unit has never accepted a man into their ranks. After a emergency rescue following an attack by Trenchers, a group of vigilantes against sygilists, Robert proves that a male just might be able to make it in R & E. When he's accepted into college to become a philosopher, he realizes his dream might just come true!

OMG! I love this book!! The mix of real history with the fantasy of sigils and philosophers! Such a creative and awesome story! The book is filled with action and excitement -- trencher attacks, rescues, training and war -- and kept my attention from beginning to end. Reverse sexism adds an interesting angle to the plot as well. Robert goes through a lot being a male in college studying philosophy and wanting to join R&E when they don't accept males.

The Philosopher's Flight is Tom Miller's debut novel. I loved the story and his writing style. I will definitely be reading more by this author!

**I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book from Simon & Schuster via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.** show less

I received a free copy of this book through NetGalley, but my opinions are my own...

...And my opinion is: Mr. Tom Miller needs to write more books in this world!

This is a 4.5 rounded up. The only reason it isn't a solid 5.0 is because I wanted the plot and story to cover a little bit more ground, but I expect that this is the first in a projected series.

If you liked the depth and texture of Clarke's Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, then this is the book for you. The character's are realistic show more and the world is like a marvelous tapestry with tidbits of worldbuilding woven into every bit.

Check this book out, you'll love it. show less