
The Philosopher's Flight
A Novel
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Narrated by:
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Gibson Frazier
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By:
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Tom Miller
A thrilling debut from ER doctor turned novelist Tom Miller, The Philosopher's Flight is an epic historical fantasy set in a World War I-era America where magic and science have blended into a single extraordinary art. "Like his characters, Tom Miller casts a spell." (Matthew Pearl, author of The Dante Club and The Last Bookaneer)
Eighteen-year-old Robert Weekes is a practitioner of empirical philosophy - an arcane, female-dominated branch of science used to summon the wind, shape clouds of smoke, heal the injured, and even fly. Though he dreams of fighting in the Great War as the first male in the elite US Sigilry Corps Rescue and Evacuation Service - a team of flying medics - Robert is resigned to mixing batches of philosophical chemicals and keeping the books for the family business in rural Montana, where his mother, a former soldier and vigilante, aids the locals.
When a deadly accident puts his philosophical abilities to the test, Robert rises to the occasion and wins a scholarship to study at Radcliffe College, an all-women's school. At Radcliffe, Robert hones his skills and strives to win the respect of his classmates, a host of formidable, unruly women.
Robert falls hard for Danielle Hardin, a disillusioned young war hero turned political radical. However, Danielle's activism and Robert's recklessness attract the attention of the same fanatical antiphilosophical group that Robert's mother fought years before. With their lives in mounting danger, Robert and Danielle band together with a team of unlikely heroes to fight for Robert's place among the next generation of empirical philosophers - and for philosophy's very survival against the men who would destroy it.
In the tradition of Lev Grossman and Deborah Harkness, Tom Miller writes with unrivaled imagination, ambition, and humor. The Philosopher's Flight is both a fantastical reimagining of American history and a beautifully composed coming-of-age tale for anyone who has ever felt like an outsider.
©2018 Tom Miller (P)2018 Simon & Schuster, Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...




















I would warn readers that they may want to invest in both the audio and hard copy versions. At the start of each chapter he quotes “sources,” but this can be confused as being part of the story in the Audible version. At the end of the book, his Appendix includes descriptions of glyphs that are presumably drawn in the book, but cannot be easily pictured by the listener.
The storyline was coherent but the relationships with the characters were lacking in depth. Robert is close to his mother, yet he is willing to disregard her toward the end. We discover he was closer to a sister who raised him, but he doesn’t consult her much. He loves Dar, however, he disregards her preferences.
Most of the final chapter with the dance could have been eliminated. It felt like the author didn’t know how to end the story and settled for a rambling Harry Potterish solution that offered nothing to the story.
You’ll need the book and the audio.
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What a original and captivating world...
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Brilliant multi layered story
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Fortunately, I wasn't disappointed.
This book was excelent. The magic system was unusual and complex. The alternate version of history was interesting is well. I liked seeing the division of sexes handled using a story where the women had so much more power.
I will definitely pick up another book by this author.
I really enjoyed this book.
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Fun and original
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Unique and engaging read!
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Highly recommended. Spoiler: there's more fairly explicit sex than I would have expected for a YA book, which this mostly is...
Delightful story, of flying Philosophers
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Wow!
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A nice story in an inventive universe
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perfect
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