The Philosopher’s Flight: A Novel

Tom Miller’s outstanding debut, The Philosopher’s Flight, is a page-turning adventure. Empirical philosophy, or sigilry, a practical magic that includes unaided human flight, is practiced mostly by women, as men are widely considered inept. However, Robert Weekes, son of a former military philosopher, dreams of becoming the first male to join the prestigious US Sigilry Corps Rescue and Evacuation Service, a group of flying medics currently serving at the front lines of World War I. After proving his abilities in a death-defying rescue flight, Robert is accepted to attend the almost all-female Radcliffe College for training. While at school, he falls for Danielle Hardin, a resentful war hero known for the many lives she saved at the Battle of Gallipoli. Together, they encounter attacks from Trenchers, an anti-philosopher cult, who are trying to eliminate sigilry by assassinating prominent philosophers.

The Philosopher’s Flight is a pleasing concoction of excitement, romance, and invention. With original epigraphs that cite fabricated sources and an in-depth appendix that reads like a textbook on sigilry, Miller’s worldbuilding skills are unparalleled; this, however, makes the occasional mention of real historical figures and events of the Great War seem unfitting. Imaginative, lively, and immersive, The Philosopher’s Flight is recommended for fantasy/sci-fi enthusiasts and novices alike.