If I could give this book more than five stars I would. It stole my sleep and kept me up two nights in a row. I sincerely hope there will be more, even as I acknowledge that this was a very good place to end the series. Darn it. Thanks for the trip. ( )

At various times when reading this book I would have given 3 stars, 2 stars, 4 stars... hard to categorize what I thought. I haven't read the first book in the series, probably would have been a bit easier to get started with this if I had. Interesting premise, lots (lots) of dark outcomes, a weird and conflicting tale of love that was both too specific and not really specific enough. ( )

Robert Weekes is back. Now using his father’s surname, Canderelli, to obscure the notoriety gained during his year at Radcliffe College, Robert has achieved his dream of joining the Rescue and Evacuation Corps. He is ready to be shipped off to France to serve. “Ready” might be an exaggeration because nothing could really prepare him for the danger, drudge, and daring he will experience as the only man in the service. If only he can keep his head down, do his job, and, quite literally, keep his head, he’ll be fine. Unless General Blandings has her way and can convince him to join her mutiny, capture Berlin, end the war, and save millions of lives. Well, there’s that as well.

Tom Miller’s tales of sigilry moves into combat mode with Robert flying countless rescue sorties and the odd secret mission for Blandings. The pace is terrifying, so hold onto your hat. Along with many beloved characters from the first novel making a reappearance, a whole host of new ones fill out this tale. And the possibilities opened up by the ending virtually ensure that this will be long-running series.

Easy to enjoy. ( )

The Philosopher’s War is an eagerly-awaited sequel to The Philosopher’s Fight. It picks up after Robert graduates from Radcliffe and heads off to World War I where soldiers’ lives are wasted by profligate generals determined to win at all cost. As the only man in the R&E, he flies to the front to rescue and evacuate the wounded. The experience bonds him to his fellow R&E fliers in ways that people on the outside cannot understand.

Meanwhile, General Blandings who leads the rescuers is organizing an alternative strategy to end the war and recruits Robert to her effort. Robert is, she insists, the key to success and she wants him to be careful, an impossible ask for a committed rescuer who stands by the woman next to him. He befriends his fellow fliers and mourns when they are killed, as is bound to happen with the mishaps and tragedies of war. Each loss makes the bonds to those who remain stronger.

I enjoyed The Philosopher’s War. There are sweet moments that made me smile, such as a quote from a never-written book by Hemingway as a chapter epigraph referencing the philosophical flyers. The sigil-notes that Robert exchanges with Danielle Hardin, his sweetheart who now works for a U.S. senator seem an amusing form of phone sex. Most particularly, I liked the evolution in their relationship as Robert identifies more and more with the women in the Sigil Corps with whom he faces death time and time again. Danielle simply cannot understand what his life is like and their relationship suffers.

Robert is a good man, committed to his craft and his fellow fliers. The story is often harrowing and death and mayhem are ever-present, far more so than in the first book, but then war is violent and World War I was a horror.

This is a good series, an alternative to reality that is fantastical but still recognizable with real history.

The Philosopher’s War will be released on July 16th. I received an e-galley from the publisher through NetGalley.

https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpress.com/2019/07/09/9781476778181/ ( )