Romulus Buckle & the City of the Founders (The Chronicles of the Pneumatic Zeppelin, 1): Preston Jr., Richard Ellis: 9781611099188: Amazon.com: Books

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Richard Ellis Preston Jr.

Romulus Buckle & the City of the Founders (The Chronicles of the Pneumatic Zeppelin, 1) Paperback – Unabridged, July 2, 2013

by Richard Ellis Preston Jr. (Author)

619 ratings

Book 1 of 2: The Chronicles of the Pneumatic Zeppelin

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In a postapocalyptic 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 ne’er-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.

Book 1 of 2

The Chronicles of the Pneumatic Zeppelin
Print length

456 pages
Language

English
Publication date

July 2, 2013
Dimensions

5.5 x 1 x 8.25 inches
ISBN-10

1611099188
ISBN-13

978-1611099188
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Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

*Starred Review* What a glorious novel! What a glorious, steam-filled, larger-than-life, action-packed adventure! Set in the future, about three centuries after an alien attack devastated planet Earth, the tale involves the crew of a steam-powered airship, the Pneumatic Zeppelin, led by the brave Romulus Buckle, mounting a mission to rescue the head of their clan, Balthazar Crankshaft, from the clutches of the mysterious and dangerous Founders, who have kidnapped several clan leaders for their own nefarious purposes. Preston creates a fully realized world, lavishing description on the airship’s mechanical accoutrements (“... panel after panel of ornate levers, cranks, and knobs that spread out like a gigantic church organ, an elegant riot of vacuum tubes, steam switches, quicksilver instruments, brass gauges, and copper dials”) and on its crew (Romulus Buckle: “a tree-tall fellow, six feet and a couple of caterpillar lengths more if he was an inch, his cheeks and chin scruffed with whiskers the color of sand dunes, in ample quantities for a man of the ripe old age of eighteen”). Suitable for adult and young-adult readers, the book is like an old-fashioned movie serial—one crisis after another—and Preston definitely isn’t afraid of asking us to believe the unbelievable (even the most ardent steampunk fan would probably admit that a hydrogen-filled airship, powered by steam-generated flaming boilers, stretches the imagination a bit). Steampunk doesn’t get much more exciting, or more adventurous, than this. The book is the first of a proposed series, and the second installment can’t come soon enough. —David Pitt

Review

“I ABSOLUTELY LOVED THIS BOOK…This swashbuckling quest set mainly aboard the Pneumatic Zeppelin was so fast paced and exciting, I finished it in one day. I can’t wait to hop aboard the Pneumatic Zeppelin and take another wild ride in its upcoming adventure: Romulus Buckle & the Engines of War.” ―The Qwillery

“I love the Steampunk fantasy genre, especially when it is a well-crafted storyline coupled with interesting characters. [Romulus Buckle and the City of the Founders] delivers everything you could want in this genre. Get this novel. The next in the Chronicles is even better.” ―Koeur’s Book Reviews

“Romulus Buckle & the City of the Founders is an excellent read and I highly recommend this book to any lover of Science Fiction or the highly popular Steampunk theme. This is one of the coolest stories I have read in a while.” ―Conan Tigard, Reading Review

“What a glorious, steam-filled, larger-than-life, action-packed adventure! …Steampunk doesn’t get much more exciting, or more adventurous, than this. The book is the first of a proposed series, and the second installment can’t come soon enough.” ―David Pitt, Booklist

“I knew from the first page that Richard Ellis Preston Jr.’s Romulus Buckle and the City of the Founders would be a hit. This is a story that grabs you and won’t let go!” ― Julie Kenner, New York Times bestselling author

“The adventure takes place in a dystopian world (post alien invasion) but has a wonderful steampunkish flare…Gadgets, zeppelins and gizmos to delight even the uber steampunk enthusiast. Thrust into a fantastical world of Richard Preston’s imagination, the reader can’t help but be swept away for the entire journey.” ―Tome Tender

“The world of Romulus Buckle is unique in its blend of science fiction, steampunk and post-apocalyptic fiction. The result is compelling…Let’s say there are some seriously interesting twists.” ―Jenny Schwartz, author of The Bustlepunk Chronicles

“Delightful and chock-full of interesting characters. As the high-altitude denizens of the Pneumatic Zeppelin battle to save one of their own, sparks fly―of the sword, hydrogen, and budding romance kind. What more could one ask for? A sequel, of course, and luckily one’s on the horizon.” ―Neve Maslakovic, author of Regarding Ducks and Universes

“Romulus Buckle is a steampunk adventure of pure frenetic energy...If you’ve got a thirst for flamboyant writing and careening action, Romulus Buckle is your man.” ―John R. Alden, Cleveland Plain Dealer

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ 47North (July 2, 2013)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 456 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1611099188
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1611099188
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.15 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 1 x 8.25 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #2,568,847 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #2,487 in Steampunk Fiction
- #6,944 in Hard Science Fiction (Books)
- #38,875 in Epic Fantasy (Books)

Customer Reviews:
619 ratings

About the author

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Richard Ellis Preston Jr.

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Richard Ellis Preston, Jr. is an author who grew up in the United States and Canada but prefers to think of himself as British. He is currently writing his WW2 historical fiction trilogy "The White Rose of Stalingrad" on Substack and continuing his steampunk adventure series "The Chronicles of the Pneumatic Zeppelin" on Patreon. Richard currently resides in California.

Richard uses the pen name of R.E. Preston to write his new youth adventure "The League of the Sphinx" series. The first book is "The Purple Scarab" and is now available on Amazon.

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Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5

619 global ratings

5 star		48%
4 star		30%
3 star		9%
2 star		6%
1 star		7%

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Top reviews from the United States

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superstardrifter

As steampunk as it could possibly be! :D

Reviewed in the United States on July 9, 2018

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This is very probably the steampunkiest steampunk book I have ever read (or listened to) in my entire history of steampunk reading (of which there has actually been a decent amount). Mind you I knew that it was going to be steampunk AF, because read the title and then look at the cover, lol.

This is the story of Romulus Buckle and his crew of his airship, the Pneumatic Zeppelin. He’s only 18 years old, and yet, he is the captain of a ragtag group of orphans and other survivors in this dystopian Los Angeles. He and several of his foster brothers and sisters, who are also the commanding officers of the zeppelin, are about to embark on a dangerous mission to rescue the leader of their clan and foster father, Balthazar Crankshaft, from the City of the Founders.

This world is a dystopian version of our own. Many years ago, aliens came visiting and… the Earth ended up in endless winter after a war with them. Moreso, some parts of certain parts of it are covered in deadly yellow fog known as the Mustard. So, in and around the former city of Los Angeles, there are several ‘clans’ of people. The biggest clans in these parts are the Crankshafts, of which Romulus Buckle and his crew are part; the Alchemists, scientists and astronomers who live in Hollywood, in what I assume is the Griffith Observatory, and who build robots; the Imperials, who build airships; and the Founders, who live in Los Angeles – the titular City of the Founders.

The Founders have kidnapped the leaders of the other clans for some reason, and it’s up to Buckle and his crew to save them. And thus:

STEAM-POWERED SHENANIGANS!

As I said, this might be the steampunkiest book I’ve ever read. However, that said, at times it almost felt as though it was trying too hard to be as steampunk as it possibly could, as just about every steampunk buzzword you can think of is included in here at some point, and nearly every character has the most ridiculous name and is so over the top with steam powered gadgets and tophats that it was a little comical, to be honest.

There was one point where Romulus lands on the ground and passes a sign that says ‘espresso’ and quips to himself that he has no idea what espresso is, and the only thing that I could do was chuckle and say to myself: ‘seriously, literally everything in your entire world is steam powered and you don’t have an espresso machine?’ >.>

Nonetheless, I will say that everything technical in this one sounded legit. The author either knows quite a bit about naval commands or how to fly zeppelins or did his research well. Romulus and his crew, despite pretty much nobody in it being much older than their mid-twenties for some reason (and it gave the book a real… maybe not YA but definitely more New Adult feel… but whatever we’ll roll with it) know all the nitty gritty of how their zeppelin works, and how to fly it. Everything that needed to sound technical did, and this was quite an adventure with plenty of exciting things happening.

I’d say this one was Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow meets Bioshock, meets Star Trek TNG, meets… Pirates of the Carribean. Something like a mix of all of those things dropped into post-apocalyptic Los Angeles. It’s not that this is a bad thing. Looking at that sentence… I mean that sounds awesome, right?

Well, at least I think so. :D

And it was pretty damn entertaining, if I’m honest!

Luke Daniels did a great job narrating this one. Characters all sounded different and had appropriate tones and accents. There was a couple foreign accents that all sounded excellently done. All told I’d give the narration a full 5/5 stars. I do believe that I will someday give the next book in the series a listen, because this one left the story open for more.

2 people found this helpful

A love letter to worldbuilding - and ENTIRELY worth the romance.

Reviewed in the United States on October 17, 2013

Verified Purchase

In my mind, this is a 5 star tale with a 3.5 star review. I'll explain that in a moment, but first know this: whatever criticisms have been laid against it, this is still a book that deserves wider attention, and I fully intend to read the sequel when it comes out. And yes - I will pay money for it, and gladly so.

Robert Preston's tale of an 18 year old prodigy with the weight of the world - quite literally - resting on his shoulders is cut from original fabric, embellished with vivid detail, and arrayed in a truly unique world that is both fantastic and plausible. It is fantastic enough that I gladly lost myself in the kaleidoscopic whorl of half-aliens, steam/hydrogen fueled machinery, robots and distorted histories. Yet it is plausible enough that I gladly followed the myriad historical and literary allusions, the complex tangle of relationships, and political intrigue that kept the tension at the straining point.

Moreover, Preston's command of language is nothing less than sterling. The few grammatical blips I spotted were, I think, typographical and not authorial, simply because his narrative style is so precise and compelling. His knowledge of history, literature, mechanics, old seafaring lore, etc is obviously extensive, judging by the story itself and the wonderfully readable way he reconciles such a wide host of academic and narrative components in one seamless tale.

Some reviews have levied specific complaints against the book. All of those I saw boiled down to one of the following: slow pacing, flat characterization, or a thin, flagging plot. Having read the entire tale, I can understand why those complaints were made, and why those readers did not finish the book. There is a lot of backstory shoveled into the opening story arcs, with moments of intense action pausing frequently for an explanation of technology, or a backstory of the half-alien Max (or Sabrina, or...), or breathless introductions of secondary or tertiary characters. For these reasons, I had a hard time working through the opening chapters as well, and nearly abandoned the book myself at one point.

HOWEVER: I kept reading, and I am GLAD I did! At the 50% mark Preston pulls off a plot twist so brilliantly worked and well-timed that the light bulb went off in my head AND I GOT IT. I understood why he took the time to shovel in so much intricate detail about everything: people, backstories, technology, rifts, relationships, the pervasive threat of "the mustard," etc. That is when I realized that Romulus Buckle essentially has ONLY ONE narrative flaw: it is the third book in a series, but a third book that rests on the shoulders of two prequels that were never written. Any other issue that someone might mention - plot inconsistencies, slow pacing, etc - can be traced back to this one underlying problem. He's fitting sufficient material for 2 ½ books into the first 200 pages of this tale. Hence my 3.5 star rating (though I am only allowed to give "whole" stars on this site).

Personal Opinion: I would like to have seen - I still WOULD like to see - Preston begin the series with the attack on Tehachapi, followed by a sequel that explores the abduction of the clan leaders and the immediate fallout. If he had done that, and woven some of the person-to-person backstory, relationships, etc through those, then "City of Founders" would be exposed as the white-knuckle-grip, heart-pounding, vigilante WWI-esque cowboys-in-a-dirigible war story that it truly is, and Romulus Buckle would already be sitting (I think) at or near the top of the bestseller lists. Without the two prequels, however, "City of Founders" requires an extraordinary amount of backstory and information layering to fully expose the interconnected complexities of Preston's world, and to set up the high-stakes action and political intrigue of the second half.

All that being said, I wholly enjoyed this steampunk romp and I fully intend to purchase the sequel. I full anticipate that, as time matures Preston's narrative skills, he will streamline his storytelling process in a way that allows the full texture, dynamic, and depth of his ideas to shine through on the page.

3 people found this helpful

Top reviews from other countries

Kysumu

Prepare for your swash to be well and truly buckled !

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 2, 2015

Verified Purchase

I can't remember the last time my swash has been so comprehensively buckled. A great rollicking story set in the apocalyptic future where electricity no longer works thanks to tham thar pesky Martian types (look out Cap'n there's one behind you) and everything is driven by steam. OK so some of the steam driven stuff is a bit far fetched (a fully functioning steam powered robot ??) but hey this pales into insignificance alongside the high pressure story line that leaves you turning page after page in a continuous action storyline. The characters are well formed and the action sequences sweep you along in a must see what happens next can't put it down rollercoaster of a ride. Can't wait to get stuck into book 2 of the series !

3 people found this helpful

Fluffy4eva

A captivating hero in an exciting new world

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 11, 2014

Verified Purchase

Will concede right up front that Steampunk is not my genre. Done properly its very mechanically descriptive, and my brain wont process that overload of information, and Richard Ellis Preston has done steampunk properly.

However, on the flip side he does paint an impressive picture of a future earth, following a band of competent and likeable characters - most particularly Romulus Buckle, who is endowed with humour, honour, physical appeal and all the other traits that makes one immediately fall in love with a protagonist. I will follow him anywhere, irrespective of the difficulty I sometimes had keeping pace with the non-stop action in a sometimes somewhat technical setting.
On that note, being set predominantly on a Zeppelin is also an interesting new slant to a saga.

I hope that there are many more adventures of Romulus Buckle to follow. He is a strong character worthy of cult status. Well played, Mr Ellis Preston Jr :-)

One person found this helpful

GH

Swashbuckling

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 28, 2014

Verified Purchase

A great read and at the time only £0.99.
I wans't sure what to expect with this author, however this book reminds me of the old swashbuckling movies of Burt Lancaster etc and the more recent Pirates of the Caribbean series.
There is no let up in the pace of the action, it's fast and furious for a lot of the book. That meant I'd often been reading for longer than I thought. Some of the main characters are only briefly dicsussed until you need to know more about them. This was a different style to what I'm used to, however it works very well here. Now reading the second book. All good so far.

D. Withers

A decent read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 27, 2018

Verified Purchase

I was unsure about my first steam punk genre but I thought I’d dip my toe
I struggled with the start of the book spending chapters telling me about a zeppelin, it seemed too slow. But once he “action” got going it seemed too fast. Not my cup of tea but not too bad for something different (and cheap)

Steve Aldy

Not sure to start with.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 13, 2014

Verified Purchase

Not sure to start with, when I started this book I was not sure where it was taking me but very soon I was entangled in the intrigue of the story and the lives and relationships between the characters which I got immersed in quite quickly, the story moves at a reasonably fast pace no chance of being bored reading this book. I am now looking forward to reading volume two. Most enjoyable read, in my humble opinion highly recommended.

One person found this helpful

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