Romulus Buckle & the City of the Founders (The Chronicles of the Pneumatic Zeppelin Book 1)
In a post-apocalyptic world of endless snow, eighteen-year-old Captain Romulus Buckle and the stalwart crew of the Pneumatic Zeppelin must embark on a perilous mission to rescue their kidnapped leader, Balthazar Crankshaft, from the impenetrable City of the Founders. Steaming over a territory once known as Southern California–before it was devastated in the alien war–Buckle navigates his massive airship through skies infested with enemy war zeppelins and ravenous alien beasties in this swashbuckling and high-octane steampunk adventure. Life is desperate in the Snow World–and death is quick–Buckle and his ship’s company must brave poisoned wastelands of noxious mustard and do battle with forgewalkers, steampipers and armored locomotives as they plunge from the skies into the underground prison warrens of the fortress-city.
Captain Romulus Buckle must lead the Pneumatic Zeppelin and its crew of never-do-wells on a desperate mission where he must risk everything to save Balthazar and attempt to prevent a catastrophic war which could wipe out all that is left of civilization and the entire human race.
Steampunk Fantasy!,
This is all good swashbuckling stuff – blackbang (gunpowder, I guess) muskets, pneumatic cannon and sabres.
It’s well written, the characters are engaging and once you accept this new world it’s exciting and a real page turner.
Highly recommended!
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|Breathless!,
All this we learn in the first few chapters which are also punctuated by crises, before the main story takes form. Balthazar and two other clan leaders have been kidnapped and taken to the City of the Founders which is wreathed in a constant mustard gas fog. Buckle and company set out to the rescue in his dirigible and accompanied by members of the Alchemist clan. There follows almost constant fighting, incredible odds to overcome, heroic acts and bravery undaunted, shipwreck and general mayhem, but the whole thing coalesced into a well, if frantically, paced story which still has believable and appealing characters.
Romulus is splendid, as if the half-Martian Max, the rather mysterious Sabrina and the rest of a large but distinguishable cast. I loved the chapter headings, in fact I loved the whole thing.
Better not to go into the details of how everything works – the fact is, is does!
Can’t wait for the next installment.
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|Good old “Thud and blunder” in 1950s style,
I found the ideas interesting. The book reminded me of the pulp science fiction of the 50s and the American comics of the 50s and 50s and even Saturday morning matinee films.
The story its self is good. Humanity in the area of California has divided up into clans who seem to be at various degrees of war with the other clans. Romulus Buckle is the Captain of a giant airship which he has taken from another clan in reprisal for an attack on his clan home.
The leaders of three clans had met to discuss a peace treaty when they are kidnapped by another more powerful clan. The story is all about Captain Buckle’s mission to rescue the leaders.
The characters are interesting and likeable. The action is non-stop and exciting. In fact I would describe the book as good old fashioned “Thud and Blunder”.
I would say that one should not try analysing the engineering too deeply. And there are a lot of thing that are left to wonder about. Exactly why does the Captain have to have all sorts of gears and steam pipes in his top hat, what do they do. But then, why worry, just stand back and enjoy the mayhem.
I must admit to one thing that always puzzles me about stories where there is no electricity and people rely on steam. Diesel engines do not need electricity and are much better than steam in so many ways. Why not use them?
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