The Philosopher’s Flight by Tom Miller

The Philosopher’s Flight by Tom Miller is an alternate history/fantasy work set in the early 20^th century. It is a stunning debut novel and appears to be the first book in a series.

In this alternative history, Philosophy, or Empirical Philosophy as it is better known as, is a relatively new branch of science. Those people, mainly women, who are born with this innate ability can move or shape energy to transport people hundreds of miles, send messages instantly across thousands of miles, and fly, among other things, by drawing a sigil. Of course, leave it to the government to turn it into a weapon for war.

Then there is the medical evacuation unit called the US Sigilry Corps, in which women evacuate wounded soldiers from the battle field by flying them out. This corps is what Roberts Weekes wants to join more than anything. Just one problem, they only accept women, despite the fact that his sigilry skills are stronger than a lot of women – a rarity. Instead, he helps him Mother run an ambulance type service in rural Montana, in which she flies critical ill or injured individuals to the closest hospital. As luck would have it, he is called on to assist his Mother with an evacuation after a deadly terrorist attack on the home of a women sigilist and her family. This deed has thrust him into the lime light and he is offered a scholar at Radcliffe, an all girl’s school, to study sigilry and hone his flying skills.

Once there, he is faced with hatred and resentment from some of the other students and he struggles continuously to prove that he merits being at Radcliffe. However, he does make, what will become, lifelong friends that support and help him is his quest to join the US Sigilry Corps. He also meets and falls in love with Danielle Hardin, a young women who has already seen war and returned a hero; but, is now an activist. The two are both well-known and have drawn the attention of the same terrorist group, the Trenchers, who attacked the family in Montana. Just as things are starting to go Robert’s way, he now has to deal with this extremist group who is out to kill all the philosophers they can.

This is a wonderful coming-of-age story. It is imaginative and beautifully told and reminds me a little of the world of Harry Potter. So it is no surprise that I was sucked into this world from the very beginning. There is lots of action to move the plot along and some unexpected twists that made the story even better. Though WWI is the backdrop for this story, the events of the time play a minor role in the plot and were woven very nicely into the plot.

I appreciate the way in which the author handles racism and prejudices. It is a unique approach to flip the tables on our perception of the female and male roles in society. Robert, the main character, is complex and multifaceted. He struggles with all the normal teenage issues, i.e. girls, school, etc. in addition to the prejudices he endures. The secondary characters I felt needed a little more fleshing out. Regardless, this is an exceptional debut novel and I can’t wait for the next installment.

If you loved Harry Potter then you will like, if not love, this one. One word of caution, there are a few scenes that are not appropriate for younger readers so I recommend it to ages 16 and up.