Reviews

The Philosopher's Flight by Tom Miller

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ehenry501's review

adventurous dark hopeful medium-paced

4.5

5 stars: unique world building, inventive system of “magic,” intriguing alternate history, wonderful cast of characters. I love the power structure of female philosophers and the male response of tightening their hold on traditional power structures.

4 Stars: gripping plot, if a little formulaic

1 star: creating an amazing world where innovation and peer is largely held by women and not men, a system of magic and culture that places men as the minority, bold women who don’t take crap… and making me read 400 pages from the perspective of a white male underdog.

I found the main character easy to root for, but I had a very hard time ever seeing him as I’m meant to. And yes I “get” it, he’s twisting the power structure on its head to make a point.

But reading about a super special white dude doesn’t feel as bold as I believe it’s meant to in this story. Nearly every character is more interesting to me than Robert, though overall I do like him. Mr. Miller just created such great characters (Jake and Dar especially) that spend time with Robert is a little boring by comparison.

Total 3 stars, and I’ll read the rest, but I’m disappointed by the missed opportunity.

theblondpanda's review

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adventurous inspiring reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

p3tt1tt's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Content Warnings

cynnn's review

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4.0

3.75 Roundup

What a fun ride this book was! I've had this book on my shelf to read for years and finally picked it up and was pleasantly surprised by how many times I giggled over such a charismatic main character, or smiled at how wonderfully woven this sort of.. magic.. is within our history/reality. The story is a tad slow at times, but the characters really grow on you and make you want to root for them.

lisasibbett's review against another edition

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adventurous tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

alappin's review

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4.0

I really enjoyed this book. A great way to explore gender/sex roles. At times reminded me of HP and the Goblet of Fire.

samrushingbooks's review

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5.0

I'm so mad at myself for not reading this book last year. It sounded interesting, but somehow ended up being even more amazing than it sounded. I was pretty much obsessively fangirling over it the whole time I was reading. Yes, there was a bit of infodumping in the first couple chapters hut after that it balanced out a lot better, and I was absolutely invested in the characters and the story. I definitely cannot wait to read the second book here in a couple months.