Romulus Buckle & the City of the Founders

Chronicles of the Pneumatic Zeppelin #1

by Richard Ellis Preston Jr.

In a postapocalyptic world of endless snow, 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 that could wipe out all that is left of civilization and the entire human race.

Genres: Steampunk, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Fiction, Audiobook, Dystopia, Adventure

446 pages, Paperback

First published July 2, 2013

About the author

Richard Ellis Preston, Jr. is a science fiction and historical fiction author whose first published work is the "Chronicles of the Pneumatic Zeppelin" steampunk series from 47North. Richard was born in Los Angeles and grew up in Ontario, Canada. He attended the University of Waterloo where he obtained an honors B.A. in English with an Anthropology minor. He also earned a Radio and Television Broadcasting degree with Honors and Distinction from Algonquin College in Ottawa. He worked as an ENG cameraman for CBC Canada before attending the York University film program on a talent scholarship. He then relocated to California where he wrote screenplays for film and television, including programs aired on HBO, USA, Animal Planet and Fox Kids. Richard is currently writing novels and chipping away at a History M.A. at CSUN.

Reviews

[Jody · Rating 4 out of 5]

Romulus Buckle & the City of the Founders was my first adventure into the world of steampunk. I have been wanting to read something in this genre for some time, but wasn't sure where to start. So, of course I asked for requests from you wonderful people here on GR. The response was better than I had hoped. I got a quite a few recs, and after much debating with myself, decided to start with this series to get my feet wet. Thank you for all of the recommendations. I can't wait to read each and everyone of them. And thank you to Bookwraiths for recommending this series to start my steampunk journey.

Since I am new to this genre I really don't have anything to base my experience on. The characters were well developed and the world building is exceptionally thought out. The steampunk theme was nicely executed and not to over the top. I thought Mr. Ellis did a fantastic job mixing all of these elements together and producing an entertaining story.

This is set in a post-apocalyptic California many years after an alien invasion that has left the world in a state of constant winter. The people and aliens remaining after the great war have broken off into different clans. The main clans in this book are the Crankshafts, Alchemists, Imperialists, and Founders. Captain Buckle and his crew are in the Crankshaft clan. They are on a mission to rescue their leader, Balthazar Crankshaft, from the city of the Founders. On their expedition they will have to survive alien beasties and several varieties of steam powered adversaries to accomplish their mission.

"Ours is a mysterious world," Buckle said. "Under every shadow lies a secret."

The story is told from three separate POV's. Captain Romulus Buckle, first lieutenant Sabrina Serafim, and chief engineer Max the Martian. Through these three perspectives the reader gets to see the lifestyle on a zeppelin airship. Oh, what a life it would be! I can see myself now in my top hat with gears and steam tubes clanking and whistling. My eye monocle gleaming in the sunlight. All while sailing the skies with my crew of misfits on some adventure. Ummmm! Sorry about that! Caught me daydreaming did ya! Haha! Anyway, Mr. Preston does a great job of bringing this world to life as you can see by the affect it has had on me. There is a fair amount of fun to be had in these pages. Along with some twists and a little mystery as well.

To sum up, Romulus Buckle & the City of the Founders was the perfect way for me to begin my expedition into the steampunk genre. This was a lighter read than my usual fantasy or sci-fi, but certainly did not suffer from that fact. It was engaging, with wonderful world building, quirky and memorable characters, and just plain fun to read. I recommend this if you are looking for something outside of your normal reading genres. I will be suiting up for my next flight with the Pneumatic Zeppelin and crew right away.

"And each and every one of us is with you for the long haul, Captain. We shall follow you to the end of the world."

4 stars ****

[Bookwraiths · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally reviewed at Bookwraiths.

Zeppelins!

The image of those huge, silvery-skinned dirigibles drifting above the earth with a cloud-filled sky as a backdrop has always captured my imagination. Honestly, I’m not ashamed to say I have purchased several books just because they had a zeppelin on the cover: Michael Moorcock’s The War Lord of the Air being one of them. So, when I ran upon Romulus Buckle & the City of the Founders, I knew I had to read this novel.

From the first sentence, Mr. Preston gave me what I had always longed for in a zeppelin story: an adventure where the dirigible is the star of the show. Now, do not misunderstand, there are many interesting characters, suspenseful plot lines, and intriguing historical tidbits in this novel, but the Pneumatic Zeppelin absolutely steals the show in my opinion.

Our steam powered lady drifts across the skies of this steampunk world in all her glory, capturing one’s attention in the same manner that the Starship Enterprise does in Star Trek. And as a reader learns how she is built, how she is flown, how her captain and crew adore her, and how she fights, the Pneumatic Zeppelin blazes brighter than a hydrogen balloon on fire!

And like her spacefaring counterpart the Enterprise, this mighty ship also has a man who cherishes her above all mortal caresses; this man being one Romulus Buckle, who is cut from the same swashbuckling cloth as one James Tiberius Kirk. Indeed, from the first page, a reader understands that "Romulus Buckle (i)s an airman, a zeppelin pilot, to be exact, or to be less exact, in the local slang, a gasbag gremlin, a dirigible driver, a balloon goose, an air dog, or whatever moniker any lazybrat might cook up in his gin-stewed cerebellum.” He is young, dashing, handy with a saber, and without a doubt married to the lady of his dreams: the Pneumatic Zeppelin, and as the story begins, he is a man on a life-and-death mission with his trusty crew in tow.

For in this post-apocalyptic world, the men of the Snow World – the old California – are divided into clans, fight never-ending skirmishes against each other, and attempt to live their short lives to the utmost before a quick death descends upon them. But now, something unheard of has occurred, as the “fogsuckers,” or the Founders if you will, have kidnaped Balthazar Crankshaft and several other clan leaders from a peace conference. This upsets the delicate balance of power in the Palisades, leaves all the clans feeling vulnerable, and has brought the Snow World unto the brink of all out war.

With the Founders not explaining their actions, the other clans are left to assume that their mysterious neighbors intend to finish what they began decades before: bring to heel all the clans around them and thereby fulfill the original “Founders” ancient desire to reshape human civilization.

But wait!

Before the “fogsuckers” can unleash their dreadful plans, Romulus and the Pneumatic Zeppelin are dispatched to set things right. They will attempt the impossible: pass through the walls of poisonous gas that surrounds the Founder’s city of old Los Angeles, breach the Founders’ legendary defenses, and snatch Balthazar out from under their very noses. The whole of the Crankshaft Clan believes the Pneumatic Zeppelin can accomplish this; the zeppelin’s crew is ready to lay down their lives for this task; and Romulus Buckle is willing to sacrifice everyone – including his own dearly loved airship – if that is what it takes to rescue Balthazar!

The adventure that follows is well-worth a reader’s time. There are “blackbang powder” musket battles, sword fights, dirigible combat, not to mention a fascinating crew (whose personalities and camaraderie remind you of Jim’s spacefaring group) as well as all the usual elements of the steampunk genre. Without a doubt, Romulus Buckle and the City of the Founders is an exciting ride, yet as I said, the zeppelin is the star here, whether the author intended it or not. For as Romulus Buckle himself points out: “The sky (i)s the place to be.”

Yes, it is Romulus. Can I go ahead and sign up for the next novel right now?

I received this book from 47North and Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. I’d like to thank Netgalley for allowing me to receive this review copy and inform everyone that the review you have read is my opinion alone.

[David Sven · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stick Horatio Hornblower in a steampunk Zeppelin, deck him out in leathers and top hat, let him keep his musket and his sabre and then transport him to post apocalyptic California half a millennium down the track - and you have Romulus Buckle & the Lost City of Los Angeles the City of the Founders.

So we have a lot of swash buckling on the High...well, just up high. We have steam powered jetpacks, we have a Zeppelin with Cannons and a pneumatic turreted machine gun - oh yeah, we have us some steampunk...and Martians...who have come from a lot further than Mars...well we have one Martian...make that a half caste Martian. I don't know where the other Martians went - but when they came 300 years ago they left California as a snow world - and reduced it's cities to bones and traffic in an eternal gridlock. But otherwise Martians are apparently really sexy... if you can find one. Forget about the Martians ok...they're ancient history. And don't get me started on the steam powered robots.

I recently read Boneshaker (Review) so it's difficult not to compare the two because the writing style is similar in a way and some of the plot elements are similar. Both feature a zeppelin, both involve a rescue mission in a gas enshrouded city - except in this book the gas just kills you. You don't come back as a zombie...which is a good thing. There are way too many zombies about these days and they don't seem to die...they just keep coming back and popping up in books all over the shop and even in reviews of books that don't have zombies. Double tap to the head people, I repeat and don't make me repeat it again, double tap to the head.

The one complaint I had about Boneshaker - apart from the zombies - bang bang - where did that rotter come from is that the steampunk elements were too light for my liking. In particular, I wanted some more technical detail about the zeppelin in that book - and I would really have liked for that zeppelin to have cannons. Well, in this book we get a proper zeppelin, cannons and all. And a lot of the book is devoted to the workings and description of the ship. Nine hundred feet long, 14 stories high, multiple gondola decks, and steampunky gadgets all over the shop. I really felt like I was on a ship and more specifically, a submarine because obviously airships have vertical movement and all the terms are what you expect in a naval centric story. All very cool.

The problem I had with the book was that the plot felt too lite. The whole story revolves around a single rescue mission with the story starting when we've already lifted off and enroute. While this made for a tight and easy narrative, there just wasn't a lot too it and it felt a little YA to me. Most of the action is confined to the airship, which I didn't mind because the zeppelin was pretty much the main attraction for me and the air battles were pretty cool. But the world building doesn't extend past California so it was never clear to me how far this post apocalyptic setting went. Is it just California? Is it all of America? The world?

Anyway, what's left of Califonia and possible the rest of the world(?) is an anarchy of clans and pirates and scavengers and there are supposed to be Martians about somewhere as well, but they are pretty rare.

So nice steampunk elements, particularly the airship, but a bit light on the plot and a bit YA for me. It was light and easy reading but I could pretty much take or leave the next book in the series. I'm starting to think maybe I just like the idea of steampunk more than the actual genre - but I still think there must be a steampunk story out there that's written in a style that suits me - maybe something a bit more complex and gritty.

If you liked Boneshaker, I think this is even better.


3.5 stars

[Eric Allen · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm afraid that I'm going to have to give up on this one. I have a four chapter rule. If a book cannot grab me within four chapters, I don't care how epic and awesome it might become later on, and I move onto something that CAN grab me in the first four chapters. Which is sad, because I've been hearing a lot of good things about this book.

What I read of the book was terribly written, confusing schlock that took itself WAY too seriously. The book begins with something of an action scene that neglects to mention to you what's happening or why, or even why you should care. The writer seems really pompous (read the first paragraph and you'll see EXACTLY what I mean), and he goes on, and on, and on, and on, and on with completely unnecessary descriptions that are teeth-grindingly bad, all while simply telling you outright what all of the characters' skills and personality traits are rather than, you know, SHOWING US who these people are and what they can do by, you know, having them interact with one another, and DOING WHAT THEY CAN DO!!! There was once a man named William Shakespeare, you may have heard of him. He just happens to be, even now, centuries after his death, considered one of the worlds greatest writers... EVER. Once upon a time he said this about writing, "Brevity is the soul of wit." Which basically means, a smart piece of writing is one that gets its point across in as few words as possible. All these unnecessary descriptions that go on for PAGES, character bios that go on for MORE pages, meanwhile the ACTION SCENE that is SUPPOSED to be the center of attention is completely boring and loses all of its meaning because it's all cluttered up with all of this crap that doesn't even need to be there. You don't need to describe things down to the smallest detail to me. You don't need to tell me a character's life history up front, and then tell me every single detail about their personality and skills. These things are unnecessary and clog the story up so that something that SHOULD be exciting, ISN'T!!! A character's history, if relevant at all, should be worked into the story, not dropped on the reader up front in a wall of text. A character's personality and skills should be worked into the story through their interactions with others, reactions to situations, and by doing the things they are able to do, and descriptions ARE important, but when you describe things are are UNimportant to the plot, or the current happenings in the story down to the smallest detail imaginable, it completely ruins the entire pacing of the story. A reader has an imagination. Let them use it. Give a brief, yet adequate description, and let their imagination fill in the blanks.

About the point that I gave up was when characters start plugging their hats, which have gears and gadgets and doodads and crap built into them, into the ship because... STEAMPUNK!!! This is done to no discernable purpose. If there's one thing I despise in a steampunk book it's technology that has no purpose except to exist and show you how steampunk it is. What makes it worse is that it is not only completely pointless, it's also pretty stupid. I mean... WHY? Seriously. WHY would anyone ever do something like build a hat with gears and gadgets and doodads and crap that serves no purpose at all, and then plug it into the ship they're flying, restricting their movement and likely cutting into their ability to actually fly said ship? It makes no sense. It's not cool. It's not an awesome way of showing off the steampunk technology that your world has. It's just plain dumb, pointless and impractical. You want to wow me with steampunk technology, show me something that actually serves a purpose. Something that the characters rely on to get themselves out of tight situations, or to make everyday life easier. I read a steampunk book once where all of the weapons were powered by steam, they had steam powered muskets, steam powered cannons, steam grenades, and you know what...? IT WAS AWESOME!!! They would make broadside flybys on their airships while musketeers took pot shots at each other, and they'd blast away at each other with their steam cannons, and it was well written, engaging, and exciting. This was not.

I wanted to like this book, but wow. I would recommend skipping this one unless you have a much, MUCH higher tolerance for cheese, bad writing, and pointless crap that exists just to exist, than I do. There was nothing in the first four chapters that even came close to grabbing me, while, at the same time, the book managed to do just about everything I hate in a story. I also have another rule. If a book gets hit with the four chapter rule, one star is all it deserves, because it has completely failed in every single aspect of storytelling in failing to draw me into it. No interesting characters, all telling and no showing, no sign of a storyline like... AT ALL, technology that is pointless and ridiculous, about fifteen times as much description than is actually necessary, little to no exposition, making events that were clearly meant to be exciting and engaging, pointless, tedious and boring instead, and written badly by someone who clearly believes that he is God's gift to the literary world. Epic failure to begin a story. No desire to read further. One star.

I honestly don't understand how this book even got published. The writer must have connections. Any agent or editor worth a damn would have thrown this out before they got halfway as far as I did into it.

[Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Romulus Buckle & etc etc. So whilst Richard Ellis Preston Jr. has a mighty impressive authors name (which sounds like it needs Michael Buffer to introduce) it appears he has some great marketing nounce. Obviously impressed with his own moniker, REP.jr realised how much a name and great cover art can impress those perusing the book store looking for something new.

Ladies and Gentlemen, in the hot corner and competing for the Steam Punk heavy weight title of the world........ Rrrrrrrrrrrrrromulusssss Buckleeeee!!

Great work team Preston Jr.

So is the book actually any good? Well you're asking someone with a average track record of enjoying steam punkery, post apocalyptic stories. So it was with some eyebrow raising that I went into this novel, it has to be said, based on some friends posiitve reviews and what i have learnt from this is that i LOVE zeppelin stories. There isn't enough of them, the only other time i found airships and zeppelins was for a very brief moment in The Diamond Age and that was for a brief moment. But there is something majestic about airships and flying them.

Like a steam powered machine, this book takes a long time to get a full head of steam and actually get the story rolling and it was very easy to set aside and read a chapter or eight of one of the other books I was reading at the time (don't start on the topic of reading too many books at once), however, once it did get a bag full of steam it started chugging along nicely.

The characters are fun, not very deep, (some would say pasted on shallow), I think REPjr. has shown potential in building the characters personalities and I would expect to see them evolve over future books. The story is solid. Life sucks, we blew every thing up. California is a frozen or radio active wasteland, except for small pockets of areas where different peoples survived and try to live on. Of course said peoples plan to go to war and finish off what wasn't achieve how ever many years ago the day of suns was. yada yead yada like most of post apoc books

The book is a prelude to a bigger story and the scene has been set nicely for a tribal war, with alliances, most likely betrayals, some love stuff, but with martians, so there's a twist. Oh yeah, Martians... involved in killing us off, nearly, we think, who knows, there is only one in the story so far and she is a hottie... for a Martian that is. Of course she has fallen in love for our swash buckling hero Romulus, that is probably a spoiler, but seriously, you'd imagine all the females would probably fall for our main man. (me thinks JEPjr. is a Jack Sparrow fan).

This review is rambling. Airships....... you spend a lot of time on one. There are plenty of descriptions of a working one. There are some great action scenes and the author shows that has plenty of skill at writing tense, pressure building scenes. Don't like big bags of air floating above your head? Leave this one alone.

Overall I enjoyed the book and gave it 4 stars. There is a lot of fun with this read and has me surprised at just how much I did enjoy it. So why not 5 stars? Well i did find it easy to put down and leave it a few days. (actually that might have been weeks) It was interesting without being captivating. It was fun without being amazing. It made a great fill in whilst reading other things.

So if you are looking for a fun easy read, looking at expanding into steam punkery and all that end of world doom and gloom then this is a pretty good place to start. I'll qualify that recommendation by adding that I know bugger all about this genre and have no idea if this is actually a great place to start :)

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

An very enjoyable steampunk romp of quick pace non stop action from the start to finish. Hope the world building continues in which it started.

[Dianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thoroughly entertaining, good old fashioned fun read, I promise! Just sit back and let the world-building come to life in your mind, and you will find yourself lost in steampunk action at its chaotic best!

Set in the future, after a devastating alien invasion has brought the world to its knees, Romulus Buckle & the City of the Founders by Richard Ellis Preston, Jr., is a swashbuckling adventure of epic proportions as Romulus and his zeppelin crew cut through the skies on a dangerous mission across southern California to rescue Romulus’ adoptive father, the venerable Balthazar Crankshaft and other clan leaders who are kidnapped by the Founders. (Cue the evil music.) The odds are against them, but this motley crew has a few tricks of their own up their sleeves. Will it be enough or is this Steampunk's version of Mission Impossible?

Richard Ellis Preston, Jr. knows how to create a quirky and fun world that screams steampunk! From the sights, sounds and atmosphere, one can hear the clanking, the hissing, as well as see the fascinating steam-powered inventions. Filled with uniquely over the top characters with names that will make you chuckle, this is a fast paced, chaotic adventure where the name of the game is action! Fun fantasy, refreshingly devoid of angst, weakness and cowardice, just strap in for the a wild and crazy ride into the future.

I received this copy from 47North in exchange for my honest review.

Series: The Chronicles of the Pneumatic Zeppelin, Book One
Publication Date: July 2, 2013
Publisher: 47North
ISBN: 1611099188
Number of Pages: 457
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

[Ranting Dragon · Rating 3 out of 5]

http://www.rantingdragon.com/review-o...

Romulus Buckle & the City of the Founders is the debut novel by Richard Ellis Preston Jr., and it is a thoroughgoing steampunk tale of high adventure and action in a future dystopian United States.

Don't let your settings grow up to be cowboys
A common problem I've found with a lot of steampunk is the way that the setting completely takes over the entire process of your story. I know that steampunk is more than just a genre. There's fashion, music, lingo. For the fans of steampunk, it is as much a movement or a life choice as a mere setting. But seriously. I have never read so much otherwise pointless description of how many gears and pipes and crap are stuck to someone's hat. This book clocked in at 456 pages, and I honestly feel like a solid 100 could have been cut just reducing direct description of steampunk elements.

I know it's a debut novel, and I know that the setting is not the traditional Victorian England that the majority of steampunk is set in, so a certain degree of over-narration is inevitable, but there was way too much telling and not nearly enough showing going on. Speaking of the setting, Romulus Buckle & the City of the Founders takes place in a future Earth, after what I generally presumed to be a nuclear apocalypse (at least, they're soundly in nuclear winter, though some plot elements suggest the apocalyptic event was chemical in nature rather than nuclear. It's never spelled out). That on its own is pretty cool. However, there are a lot of strange disconnects in information supply. The protagonist is given cause at one point to wonder "What's a subway?" when he hears another character use the word. Yet then they know exactly what a locomotive is when one is menacing them. Given that this is the future, subways would have been used much more recently in their timeline, and locomotives brought back and put into use after the disaster. On more than a few occasions I found it a little off-putting what we're expected to believe survived and what didn't.

You do the debut that you do
All of this, however, is really to be expected for a debut novel. It can take a long time for an author to settle into a new setting even when they're an experienced writer generally. A lot of exposition needed to get crammed into not a lot of space, and I think that Preston Jr. is still finding his voice and settling into his groove. The world we saw, if a little disjointed, is still quite interesting. I was engaged, and enjoyed my trip through this grand adventure. There was a certain 1940s serial adventure vibe to it. A sort of Rocketeer meets Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow with a pinch of Raiders of the Lost Ark for flavor.

I'm willing to grant Preston Jr. some slack for this being the first entry out of the gate. The whole story was basically built to give baseline world knowledge and point squarely at a sequel, and I'm definitely willing to give the next novel, Romulus Buckle & The Engines of War (releasing November 2013), a try, as well. I'd just like to see a little less Basil Exposition, less emphasis on pointing out how steampunk everything is, a little more showing by doing, and more depth into the action elements. We had a few fights that were really excellent to read, and the gadgetry is cool and flashy and exactly what steampunk is supposed to be.

Why should you read this book?
You should read this book because it has a lot of potential. It has some flaws, but they're all understandable as growing pains for a very complicated setting in a new world in a new book by a new author. As a post-apocalyptic world goes, I quite like it, and I'm excited to see more. I'm not the biggest fan of steampunk, and it does get laid on a little thick, but it still makes for an entertaining adventure story.

Dan received an advanced reader copy of Romulus Buckle & The City of the Founders courtesy of 47North.

[Karissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I got a copy of this book to review through the Amazon Vine program. This is the first book in The Chronicles of the Pneumatic Zeppelin series. I love steampunk books and was excited to read this one. Unfortunately I ended up not finishing it, it was just too hard to read and I could not stay engaged in the story.

Captain Romulus Buckle and his crew are taking their ship, the Pneumatic Zeppelin, on a mission to rescue their leader Balthazar Crankshaft. Their mission leads them across lands devastated by some alien war that has left the Earth in a post-apocalyptic mess.

I ended up getting about 1/3 of the way through this book before I decided it was time to set it aside. It was just so hard to read and I was absolutely not at all interested in it. Rather than being sucked into the story, I constantly felt like this book was trying to push me away from the story (if that makes any sense at all)...I constantly had to force myself to engage with this book.

The book throws a plethora of characters at you from the get-go. All of them are hard to picture and engage with. They all seem like interesting characters when they are introduced, but you bounce between them so quickly that it is hard to get a good grasp on the characters’ personalities.

A big problem with this book is how it is parsed into such tiny chapters and how each chapter bounces between different character POVs. Just as soon as I felt like I was actually engaging in the story, then suddenly that chapter was over and we were onto another character's perspective of the battle. Many of the chapters are only a couple pages long. It really fractured the story and made it hard to follow and engage with.

The book is also very wordy with a ton of description that doesn't really help to describe the settings or what is going on. For example nearly a page is spent describing Buckle's clothing, but no explanation is given as to how/why Buckle has to plug his hat into his ship. In fact all of the characters plug their hats into the ship but we really never find out why (at least not in the first third of the book).

The story goes basically from one action scene to another, the action scenes alternate with these scenes of long description. The action scenes are not all that well written and I had trouble figuring out exactly what was going on. I felt like the pacing and plot was just a jumbled mess.

The writing also flowed very poorly, I constantly had to go back and re-read portions of the story because I missed something. Not to mention somehow despite all of the action scenes the story was boring.... You know how some books just suck you in and suddenly you’ve read 100 pages and you don’t know how that happened because you are just so absolutely drawn into the story? Well this book was the opposite. I would sit there reading and realize that I was still on the same page I was on 10 minutes ago...reading and re-reading the same paragraph and trying to figure out exactly what was going on.

Anyway, I really really disliked this book and will not be finishing it. I just have too many other good books to read. I can say that reading this book was truly an epic struggle for me.

Overall not a good read and not recommended. If you want to read some good military based steampunk check out Cherie Priest’s Clockwork Century series instead.

[L · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sensational steampunk of idiosyncratic eccentricity, quirky concepts and magical wonder!

“Romulus Buckle & the city of the founders” by Richard Ellis Preston is an exciting new edition to the steampunk/ fantasy genre, of refreshing originality and extraordinary premise. This debut set within a distopian future is a tale of high action and adventure that takes you on a thrilling ride of unforgettable memorability and remarkable uniqueness. The sweeping saga is full of significant potential; comprising of inspired imaginative ideas amid an incredibly detailed, well thought out narrative set within a complex backdrop. Sucked into a darkly magnetic post-apolocalyptic world of mystical, spellbinding sights this entertaining adventure story was like nothing I have encountered before!

“…Buckle leapt down the last four stairs. His boots landed hard on the Castle deck grating. The female steampiper was on him in an instant, her sword blade waving back and forth, glimmering gold in the yellowish illumination of the firefly lanterns on the railing hooks.
Buckle backed up, getting his bearings. From the way she balanced the weight of her blade in her arm and wrist, he knew that he was up against an elite swordswoman. He could hear the battle raging below: muskets blazing, swords clanging, shouts of men and women locked in mortal combat.
The fight for the life of the Pneumatic Zeppelin was in full swing!”

This explosive, action-packed literary masterwork is indeed something very special and full on, fast-paced from the very first page. The snappy, punchy sentences and fervent intensity adds to the overall stimulating saga along with the dynamic dialogue and cast of colourful, captivating characters. Unable to tear my gaze from the pages I was literally glued to this book, lost within a remarkable otherworldly adventure of supreme singularity and epicness! Left with a list of questions lingering in my mind once I had finished reading, I now wait with baited breath and eager anticipation as to the next instalment and sequel to such an astonishingly fantastic story. I loved the characters Spartak, Tinskin, Gallowglass and the imperial clans all of who were so spunky and individualistic!

This recommended read for fans of sci-fi and steampunk blends together an interesting, eclectic mix of genre and curious concepts for a truly fresh, fabulous read. I cannot wait for the next book in the ”Romulus Buckle & the engines of war” series that’s set to be a striking series of great magnitude.

*I would like to thank the author for having a signed physical copy + magnet of his book as a first-read giveaway on Goodreads*

5 STARS – 10 out of 10!

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Captain Romulus Buckle and his zeppelin crew must take on a mission into Founders territory to rescue the clan leaders. A spy in the mists of the Founders reveal that they are the ones responsible for the disappearance during a peace conference. A near impossible mission, they are about to face incomprehensible peril while trying to traverse political games and ploys for power.

Romulus Buckle & The City of the Founders was an extremely complex story with an all consuming use of phraseology...this was not an easy read but definitely worth the time. The adventure takes place in a dystopian world (post alien invasion) but has a wonderful steampunkish flare...gadgets, zeppelins and gismos to delight even the uber steampunk enthausist. Thrust into a fantastical world of Richard Preston's imagination, the reader can't help but be swept away for the entire journey.

This ARC copy of Romulus Buckle and the City of the Founders was given to me by Amazon Publishing - 47North in exchange for an honest review. This book is set for publication July 2, 2013.

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full review is here on my blog!~

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.

[Anni · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars 🌟

[Eoghann Irving · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book wants to be the most steampunkiest steampunk tale you have ever read

Romulus Buckle for example is by no means the most ridiculous name you will see in this book but doesn't it *sound* steampunk?

The majority of the novel takes place in a Zeppelin. There's no electricity, but boy is there lots of steam and big clanking machines. Oh yes, this novel plants its flag proudly on top of Mount Steampunk and lets it wave.

So what I'm saying is that it may be trying a bit too hard. Particularly near the beginning where we get pages (no exaggeration) of description as a method to introduce characters. Particular attention is paid to their hats which contain some sort of brass tubing or something. I honestly couldn't tell you what because I basically tuned it out after the third sentence on the subject.

There's far too much telling and not enough showing in the early part of the book and it kind of saps my basic goodwill to the core idea of a Zeppelin Captain and his crew. By the time the plot actually started moving I was getting impatient.

And the plot incidentally is fine. They're on a daring mission to rescue their adopted father/clan leader from a nefarious foe. Nothing wrong with that. Along the way there's lots of derring do and feats of bravery. Also good. And the author gradually feeds in some twists and questions that are intended for future books. The world they're playing in gets a bit more depth as we go along too, though not a huge amount. But enough to make it sound interesting.

But here's the killer problem. I don't actually care about any of these people. They have no depth or really much in the way of emotion. I'm *told* they feel things but I don't feel it with them.

Again and again it just feels like the author is trying too hard. Minor characters are given time that should have gone to the main characters. It's not practical to give the entire crew personality and when you're still introducing new characters in the final act, you've got pacing problem on your hands.

There's probably too much action as well. A few too many major set pieces that should have destroyed the ship. It becomes ridiculous what it survives and as a reader the escalation of these catastrophes just ceased to have meaning after a while.

At it's core there's a cool story. Chop 100 pages off the length and I think you'd have it. Perhaps for the second book in the series Richard Ellis Preston, Jr. won't feel the need to throw everything and the kitchen sink at us (along with detailed descriptions of the brass taps).

[Nikki · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was given to me by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Well. This is not my standard choice. I am not a huge steam punk fan. However, I grabbed this on an impulse and I am not sorry I did. It started a little slow. It was too descriptive. To me, it felt a little like it was saying, "I'm the most steam punk EVER and I'm proving it! See?" In between meeting the characters, there was at least one full page describing their clothing. It was just a touch overdone.
Once that was done and the story actually started, it moved along at a decent pace. When the characters had a chance to speak, I found them engaging and interesting. (Cannot wait to see more Max. Oh, that will be good.) There are so many back stories just waiting to be told.
That was my biggest issue with this book. It felt a tad like an extremely long prologue. It was obviously the first in a new series and it read like one.
A lot of time was spent describing the clothing, the ship, and the world. A lot. A little more than necessary, in my opinion. That being said, it is a very interesting world.
Overall, I did like this book. The ending had me hooked and I've already started the second. I cannot wait to see what happens next to all these characters. I'm also very much hoping for some answers to pretty big questions that were left unanswered.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Looks to be an excellent start to an epic new series. Starts a little slow, but the characters are very well drawn. Would definitely like to read #2 when it comes out.

Editing to add my Amazon.com Review:

Set in a future where our country is a shell of what it was, states don't exist but clans do, and the landscape is as likely to kill you as a living person, Romulus Buckle captains a zeppelin that he stole from another clan. When he learns that his adopted father, who is also his clan leader, has been kidnapped along with three other clan leaders, he hatches a crazy plan to rescue them. Along the way to fulfilling this mission, his ship is attacked by creatures, he falls from the sky and lives to meet a robot named Owl, and learns unexpected information about his family.

I don't use the word "epic" often, but this book is definitely adventure on an epic scale. It is not really a casual read, as there is so much information presented to the reader. It is obvious the author is setting up this world on a grand scale, and it truly is fascinating. However, what really made the book for me are the characters. They manage to be thoroughly human (even those who are not) - those who are bad are not painted as evil caricatures, nor are those who you might deem "good" all that they might appear to be initially. Honestly, if the characters weren't so interesting, the first third of the book probably would have lost me. As I said - a *lot* of world building. However, as the story finds it's way and starts to pick up steam, it really does turn into an excellent adventure.

I'm quite looking forward to reading the further adventures of Romulus Buckle - it is obvious from the ending of this book that there is more to come, but the reader is not left hanging either. A well-written tale of adventure in a future that seems at once so familiar, and yet so alien.

[Sadie Forsythe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bah, it was ok but not much more. Here's the thing, the writing seemed fine but everything was waaaaaay over described and nothing of significance really happened. Don't get me wrong, things blew up, the air ship almost crashed like 400 times, people ran around and said droll things, but in terms of an overall story arc it didn't really show up until about page 350. Yes, the leaders had been kidnapped and the crew was rescuing them, but that's not really much of a plot as presented here. It's just an excuse to be off doing things.

So, even though I checked this out of my local library along with the sequel, I'm returning them both. I'm not going to bother with the second book. I'm just not interested enough and I have a strong suspicion that, if it takes 350 pages to finally present the real plot in this book, it's probably the same in book two, which means I'll likely finish it little more satisfied than I am now. It's just not worth it to me.

[Johnny · Rating 2 out of 5]

In Romulus Buckle & the City of the Founders Richard Ellis Preston, Jr. unveils a post-apocalyptic world where the survivors of a major conflict manage to survive by adapting their lostech (as BattleTech and Mechwarrior once called the remnant technology of other civilizations which was salvaged from a previous cataclysm) to full-fledged “steampunk.” The eponymous Romulus Buckle is the swashbuckling captain of a hydrogen-borne zeppelin named the Pneumatic Zeppelin. He has outlived his life expectancy as a dirigible captain, but the novel is predicated on his most dangerous mission ever.

My biggest problem with Romulus Buckle & the City of the Founders is that the writing style has a tendency to describe everything except the characters and their motivations, at least for the first couple of hundred pages. Oh, there are synopses of character backgrounds, but they come out in “exposition” rather than dialogue, thought, or action. Preston seems to know a lot about the structure of zeppelins, but the structure of the story seems plodding, despite the incredibly short chapters.

But let me explain, just in case my preferences don’t match up to yours. I’ve always thought of good fiction as being where bad stuff happens to people we care about and where those people use their resources, cunning, charisma, courage, faith, or luck to get out of that bad stuff. Romulus Buckle doesn’t really evoke any empathy until the chapter which begins on page 147 (“When the Sky Fell at Tehachapi”) and we find out something of his motivation (and a hatred which comes into play later). Buckle doesn’t really do anything clever (in my obnoxious opinion) until the battle with the “Forgewalkers” on page 185 where he is both clever and heroic in conserving his firepower until a later point in the expedition.

Unclear motivation can be seen when Buckle announces his full confidence in the mysterious Sabrina with no indication of why (p. 130) or when Lady Andromeda gently caresses the face of Max, the female half-Martian, and looks into her soul (p. 328). Fortunately, there is plenty of action once one is half to three-quarters of the way through the book, but some of the business after the intense combat aren’t very interesting.

From a different perspective, Romulus Buckle & the City of the Founders shows a fondness for the Los Angeles area with its Hollywood (formerly Hollywoodland) sign playing a cameo roll and the La Brea tar pits providing an interesting setting. In addition, there is a thorough-going message about trust, relationships, and acceptance of people who are different from oneself. Indeed, this message is threaded between the main plot-points so well that the novel would make a good Young Adult novel if the young adult reading the book is willing to stick with the slow-moving portions of the book long enough to get those anti-racism and anti-sexism messages.

Romulus Buckle & the City of the Founders is the first in a series, but as much as I like steampunk as a genre, I’ll have to pass on reading more.

[Soo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Notes:

Currently on KU Read & Listen (Books 1 & 2)

Luke Daniels did a great job narrating the story.

I've had this audiobook in my library for a long time. It's a good YA adventure story, but something about the pacing made it too easy for my mind to wander away. This may be the top contender for audio I've started & listened to more than half and paused before starting again much later. 😆

Ending hook was nicely setup to draw the reader into the next book. My hazy plan is to read book 2 in early part of 2024.

[Joshua · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a decent read but had it's flaws ... 4* is being kind... I would give it an honest 6.5/10*.

Give it a try if you enjoy steampunk, it has a lot to offer

[Rodrigo Jardim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent story, I'm not usually a fan of cyberpunk stories, but this one is really great!
I'm listening to the series using Audible, I hope the third book gets one audible version too.

[Matt · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oh why is it so hard to find a good steampunk novel? I think perhaps it is that steampunk novels tend to be setting driven (?)(if that is possible).

I really like the idea behind steampunk, anachronistic science and all that. I like the novel "Master of the World" by Jules Verne and the TV series "The Wild Wild West" and I guess I think that all steampunk should be like those two. Basically a mad scientist trying to achieve an end with anachronistic technology.

The plot is fairly simple, Rhomulus Buckle is the youngest zeppelin captain of the Crankshaft clan and he is out to save his patriarch and other clan leaders who have been abducted by the mysterious Founders.

It is enough of a story to fill about 150 pages, but Mr. Preston manages to get over 400 pages out of it.

Most of the padding in the early chapters is endless inane descriptions of funky steampunk gear worn by the crew of the Pneumatic Zeppelin. A lot of it is hats with wires, tubes and goggles coming out of them. I guess this is to inspire steampunk cosplayers. You will wish you had a hat with a contraption that would produce a good book to read after reading page after page of this.

Also you can tell that Mr. Preston is a Trekker. There are many parallels with the original Star Trek series here. Like Captain Kirk, Buckle is the youngest captain. There is a half-alien hybrid character that like Mr. Spock, must suppress her emotions, not because of her cultural teachings, but because her eyes are like 70's mood rings, and she doesn't want the crew to know what she is feeling. There is also a Russian chief engineer that is a Scotty/Chekhov hybrid. This may be appealing to some Trekkers, but I kept thinking of the William Shatner "get a life" skit on Saturday Night Live many years ago.

My endless quest for a good steampunk novel continues.

[Eddie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was given an electronic copy of this book for my unbiased review.

Sigh - there is so much potential here. I did enjoy the book's rather B Movie sensibilities where every character is a movie star with either stunningly good looks, or the intriguing face of a character actor. Where the design of the ship and the phenomenal bells and whistles that make it fly are paramount to every scene. Where every vocabulary word can be altered via clever tongue twists to be perfectly descriptive and yet still sound archaic to the ears. I wanted to LOVE this book, but ended just liking it, because it was so busy setting the scene that it forgot to let me into it's heart.

If you are really into the technical aspect of Steampunk, this book should delight you. It has gears and dials, steam and hydrogen, and a truly astounding ship that you get to really live in similar to the way Star Trek always puts you IN the Enterprise.

ALSO: minor quibble - the tech was a believable in a post-apocalyptic setting but the clothing, really? In most Steampunk, the folks wear top hats and bowlers because the time-frame is set in the historical period when that is what they wore. But here we are - ages into a future after a Martian invasion no less - humanity is reduced to living in clans and small enclaves, the great cities are all gone - and they recreate top-hats?!? I can get why steam power would be logical in that situation - but why the anachronistic clothing except to throw a bone to the existing Steampunk aesthetic.

[Ray Frost · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ahh, the good ol' steampunk adventure. The thrill is here! Dear Richard Preston, there are many good things I like about your book: the plot that keeps you guessing, the many believable characters, the weak impossibility of their survival, and the great front cover. Keep it up. But there is, as you might have read from other Reviewer's comments, a crippling mistake that keeps it from being the best that it can be. (hint, spoilers ahead) Your writing contains descriptions in the most awkward places, example: Near the beginning of the book, the writer builds the tension when Ivan and Pluteus start arguing; in the middle of the heated converstion, there is a whole paragraph of the discription of a Clanker's hat and it's workings. After the description, the argument continues, but the flow of feeling has abruptly ended and has to be “ remembered” in order to understand the story. In addition to this problem, the author also spends too much time on not-so-important characters, and the character sometimes lack feeling, example: Romulus, after falling down from his zeppelin and fighting an alien creature in mid-air falls down. Suddenly, Romulus gets up and starts walking! Where did he get his resolve? What did he feel? 
I have to say I really like the book. I would have rated the book 3 stars if the characters didn't have potential. I really believe in the book's possibility of being great adventure novel. It is just the little things...

[Mary Catelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Action! Adventure! In a post-apocalyptic steampunk California!

There's a few hints at what caused the collapse. Aliens misnamed Martians are certainly part of it; they dropped obelisks that did something to electricity. But poison gas was also involved. But this is peripheral. Most of it revolves around the characters in a zeppelin for a daring rescue in a chilly and perpetually clouded California, and those who interact with them.

Romulus Buckle, the captain of a zeppelin he stole in a raid (retaliation for a raid that killed his sister and adoptive mother), is out to take up more forces for his clan. They are off to rescue his adoptive father Balthazar Crankshaft, captured treacherously at a parley, leaving the Crankshaft clan perilously weak for his absence.

The backstory of the world is not thickly drawn. The family's is, and the clan's, and that of those about them. Details come fast and thick and interspaced with plentiful adventure as they deal with an airborne alien monster, treat with Alchemists (whose leader was also at the parley), face robots, discover something about Romulus's adoptive sister Sabrina (Balthazar and his wife Calypso had one child born to them and eight adopted), rats that show that air is pure, Max's changing eyes (because she's half Martian), the rambunctious dog Kellie of Kells, and much more.

[Steven · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been intrigued with the idea of steampunk for some time but have not found any books that I fancied. This one finally hit the spot for me. The world had a raison d'etre that I could accept. The details of steam-powered airship operations were fascinating and believable, and the story was engaging.

Only three things bothered me: 1. Hats and headgear with lots of gadgetry were lovingly described and often referred to as being "plugged in" to the ship's systems, but beyond dropping various eyewear into place, they seemed to serve no function, and they certainly never interacted with the ship. It's as if Preston was obligated to include them as a nod to steampunk fashion without any real reason to have them. 2. In a society with the industrial chops to build airships and robots, steam-powered though they be, the use of black powder weapons barely on a 17th Century level simply doesn't make sense. Surely they should be able to make brass cartridge casings. 3. About all that steam power. What do they use to fuel the boilers? There were several mentions of very small boilers in some pretty intricate machines but not a hint of how they kept the fires going.

Those details aside, I did enjoy reading this book and am looking forward to the next installment in the story.

[Adam Shaeffer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book, I really did, but after 143 pages of reading followed by another 35 pages of skimming it became clear that this isn't a book for me. I never felt invested in the characters and never felt invited into the events happening around them. Instead I felt like someone was telling me: first this happened, and then this, followed by this, and this, and this. Rather than drawing me in, the story seemed to keep me at a distance.

So Romulus Buckle, I bid you farewell, may your zeppelin sail to friendlier skies and may it find a home on someone else's bookshelf--one who will appreciate and enjoy you in ways that I cannot.

[ali · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't get very far only a few pages in and I gave up. I checked it out from the library, but only after looking at it for a few weeks. The name kept putting me off,but that's happened before and the book has been good.

Not this time. The opening sentence put me off and it could never get me back again. The first bit of action/dialogue doesn't happen until page 9. Until then it's extensive descriptions of clothing, Buckle, the Zepplin, a quick intro to characters and way way to many parenthetical asides to introduce slang or explain the world building.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to agree with a previous reviewer in that the genre of this book is as much (or more) a character than any of the people or creatures inhabiting the Pneumatic Zeppelin and its surrounds. And City of the Founders is written with a pretty heavy hand for melodrama. That said, I found it to be a mostly fun romp and I'm looking forward to the next one in the series. If you're looking for swashbuckling steampunk adventure, look no further.

I listened to the audiobook version and Luke Daniels is positively brilliant.

[D.H. Hanni · Rating 1 out of 5]

Could not finish this. I suspect I might not be the target audience for this because it reads like it is meant for either middle school or high school level readers. Interesting concept but the characters were just too cartoony, the dialogue was clunky, and it was just boring.