Aeronaut's Windlass

"Aeronaut's Windlass" (2015) — by Jim Butcher

The Aeronaut's Windlass — Book one of the Cinder Spires series, written by Jim Butcher.

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Release Date

September 29, 2015

Cover Art

Chris McGrath

Narrative Type and Character Perspectives

• Third Person Narrative / Multiple perspectives
• Character perspectives:
  • Gwen Lancaster
  • Captain Francis Grimm
  • Bridget Tagwynn
  • Rowl
  • Folly
  • Major Renaldo Espira

Synopsis

Since time immemorial, the Spires have sheltered humanity, towering for miles over the mist-shrouded surface of the world. Within their halls, aristocratic houses have ruled for generations, developing scientific marvels, fostering trade alliances, and building fleets of Airships to keep the peace.

Captain Grimm commands the merchant ship, Predator. Fiercely loyal to Spire Albion, he has taken their side in the cold war with Spire Aurora, disrupting the enemy's shipping lines by attacking their cargo vessels. But when the Predator is severely damaged in combat, leaving captain and crew grounded, Grimm is offered a proposition from the Spirearch of Albion—to join a team of agents on a vital mission in exchange for fully restoring Predator to its fighting glory.

And even as Grimm undertakes this dangerous task, he will learn that the conflict between the Spires is merely a premonition of things to come. Humanity's ancient enemy, silent for more than ten thousand years, has begun to stir once more. And death will follow in its wake…

Full Plot Summary

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World Building

Characters

Main Characters:

• Gwen Lancaster: Heir to House Lancaster and Lancaster Vattery; leaves home to join the Spirearch's Guard
• Benedict Sorellin-Lancaster: aka Cousin Benedict, Gwen's cousin; Warriorborn; guardsman in the Spirearch's Guard, third year.
• Francis Grimm: Captain of the AMS Predator, a privateer raiding ship for the Albion merchant Fleet.
• Bridget Tagwynn: new recruit to the Spirearch's Guard; daughter of Franklin Tagwynn, daughter of Franklin Tagwynn, heir to House Tagwynn and the Tagwynn Vattery; friend to Rowl;
• Rowl: Cat—friend and guard to Bridget; kit and heir to Chief Maul and House of the Silent Paws
• Folly: apprentice Etherealist
• Efferus Effrenus Ferus: aka Master Ferus — Etherealist; mentor to Folly.
• Lord Albion: Spirearch of Albion.

Supporting and Background Characters:

In order of appearance or mention:

• Lady Lancaster:
• Sarah: Gwen's personal lady's maid, housemaid to House Lancaster
• Captain Esterbrook: aka Elias Esterbrook, or Esterbrook; captain of the Armsmen of House Lancaster.
• Lord Lancaster: Gwen's father and head of House Lancaster
• Creedy: aka Commander Creedy, aka Byron Creedy; XO of the AMS Predator
• Kettle: Helmsman—crewman on Predator, steers the ship;
• Journeyman: maintainable engineer;
• Leftenant Hammond: skilled gunnery officer
• Aricson: Aeroaught blown overboard in attack by Itasca
• Doctor Bagen: Ship's Doctor
• Captain Castillo: Auroran captain of the ASA Itasca.
• Franklin Tagwynn: Head of House Tagwynn, one of only two remaining members along with his daughter Bridget Tagwynn; owner of Tagwynn Meat Vattery; lives in Habble Morning;
• Chief Maul: chief of House of the Silent Paws; Rowl is his son;
• Reginald Astor: guardsman; snobbish bully; challenges Bridget to a duel;
• Captain Cavallo: captain of the recruits in training;
• Barnabus Astor: Reggie's second at the Duel with Bridget, and his brother. Nicer than Reginald.
• Mirl: a Whisker for Chief Maul of the Silent Paws.
• Commodore Hamilton Rook: Commander of a flotilla of Airships for Fleet. flagship: AFS Glorious.
• Alexander Bayard: Commodore; his flagship is the heavy raiser: [[[AMS Valliant]].
• Abigail Bayard: long time mistress of Alexander Bayard.
• Mr. and Mrs. Beech: own a dumpling stand in Habble Morning Marketplace.
• Judge Helena Solomon: Judge who notarized an affidavit that verified that Rowl was a citizen in good standing, loyal to the Spirearch.
• Admiral Watson: Albion Fleet Commander
• Diego Ciriaco: Auroran Marine; part of the raiding force on Albion. Held Bridget hostage;
• Stern: aeronaut on the AMS Predator
• Baker: Aeronaut on the Predator. Made an excellant shot when the crew rescued Briget, Gwen, Benny fro the Auroran marines.
• Bernard Fezzig: Etherealist who lives in Habble Solace.
• Vincent: batman to Lord Albion
• Renaldo Espira: aka "Ren"—Major in Auroran Marines, leader of the attacking force — youngest Major in Auroran history; Conspires with Sycorax Cavendish
• Sycorax Cavendish: an Etherealist; conspires with the invading Auroran force.
• Sark: batman to Sycorax Cavendish—lethal sentry
• Grady: a runner—someone who guides people from the Habble Landing shipyard.
• Brother Vincent: brother of the Temple of the Way—trained Benedict Sorellin-Lancaster.
• Innkeeper: Black Horse Inn—lied when he said he had no rooms; Gwen bribed ten times the worth of the room.
• Calliope Ransom: Captain of the Mistshark
• Santos: first mate to Captain Ransom on the MistsharkGrimm sends for Jurneyman and Stern after Calliope Ransom leaves his ship.
• Lazaro: Lieutenant in the Auroran Marines under Diego Ciriaco
• Neen: kit of Clan Chief Naun
• Clan Chief Naun: Clan chief of the House Nine-Claws, father of Naun;
• Micheals: crewman
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Cats:

• Rowl
• Maul
• Clan Chief Naun
• Mirl

Airships

• AMS Predator: privateer ship for the merchant fleet—captain: Francis Grimm
• AFS Speck: ship that Grimm sailed on as a midshipman
• ASA Itasca: Auroran Battlecruiser
• Albion Ships: airships of Spire Albion—list of Ships
• Fleet: aeronautic organization
• Battlecruiser: large airship
• AFS Glorious: flagship for Commodore Hamilton Rook
• Windlass: an airship that propels itself by wind-sails.
• ASA Ciervo: Auroran Destroyer; Captain: _____
• Auroran Fleet: airships of Spire Aurora
• Mistshark: airship of Captain Calliope Ransom—flying the Dalosian Flag, for now.
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Places / Locations

• Spires: 10,000 feet high structures—where humans live because the Surface is uninhabitable.
• Lady Hadshaw's Finishing Academy: Gwen refused o go there.
• Etheric Engineering Academy: school for the study of Etheric energy.
• Surface: The worlds land mass upon which the Spires are built. Very dangerous.
• Spire Albion: The focus of oust of the story
• Habble Morning: The uppermost Habble of Spire Albion
• Habbles: sections of a spire—like cities—built one above the other
• Ventilation Tunnels: Air shafts built by the Builders of Spirestone
• Habble Landing: Habble about in the middle in Spire Albion. Has it it own airship port.
• Spire Aurora: rival spire, turned enemy
• Vattery: production factories
• Tagwynn Vattery: meat factory run by House Tagwynn
• Lancaster Vattery: makes Crystals—run by House Lancaster
• Camden Vattery: another meat vattery—poorer quality than the Tagwynn Vattery.
• Spirearch Manor: Lord Albion's residence, base for the Spirearch's Guard and the Fleet, as well as te seat of government including the Spire Council.
• Habble Morning Marketplace: Market place
• Beech's Dumpling Stand: located in Habble Morning Marketplace
• Spire Olympia: another Spire, seemingly more friendly with Albion.
• Beech's Dumpling Stand: in Habble Morning Marketplace; owned by Mr. and Mrs. Beech
• Habble Risen: lower level Habble to where Benedict had been sent on a mission, he saved lives and stopped criminals.
• Academy: Fleet training — per Grimm: "a place were knowledge begins—not where it ends."
• Academy: also — a school(s) of higher learning
• Lancaster Manor: home of Gwen, Lady Lancaster and Lord Lancaster; the house is supposed to be under a structural strongpoint.
• Fleet Shipyards: Fleet shipyards for Spire Albion, located on the roof of Habble Morning—top of the spire.
• Habble Landing Shipyards:
• Temple of the Way: Temple in Habble Landing; where Benedict studied The Way.
• Great Library of Spire Albion: located in the Temple of the Way
• Black Horse Inn: Inn the Team stays at in Habble Landing
• Spires: List: Spire Piker, Spire Nephesis, Spire Kissam, Spire Jereezi, Spire Dalosia, Spire Atlanta, Spire Ethosia,
• Elsewhere: a mysterious place—a place that the mind drifts to at times of great stress and pain; It's possible that it may be the Surface or an assimilation of the Surface.
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Groups and Organizations

• Spirearch's Guard:
• High Houses: House Lancaster; House Tagwynn, House Astor and others
• Albion Marines: fighting force that is part of the Fleet
• Fleet: Airship fighting force (like a navy)—see also Albion Ships (list of ships)
• Admiralty: board or organization that lead the Fleet.
• Council: aka Spire Council—elected government of Spire Albion.
• House of the Silent Paws:
• House Nine-Claws: Cat tribe of Habble Landing—Clan Chief Naun
• Auroran Armada: aka Auroran Fleet—Airship force of Spire Aurora
• Auroran Marines: executed a raid on Albion—intent on using the tunnels to infiltrate and disable the Spire.
• Verminocitors Guild: Landing has one; requires this workers to work in pairs.
• Team: a team selcted by the Spirearch for a mission to Landing.
• Guild: organized groups

Types, Titles and Species

• Warriorborn:
• Builders: mythical-like beings that built the Spires and vanished centuries ago. People speak and prey to them like they were saints.
• Armsmen: armed guards for the High Houses
• Cats: species of being with their own culture, language and hierarchy.
• Wordkeeper: Cat name, a kind of title, or Franklin Tagwynn
• Whiskers
• Longthinker: Cat name for Lord Albion.
• Verminocitors: person whose job it is to rid the Ventilation Tunnels of vermin: creatures of any kind.
• Etherealist: person that Etheric energy flows through. They have amazing abilities, but they're a tad mad and hard to communicate with.
• Spirearch: monarch of Spire Albion; the position is nearly obsolete
• Master of Arms: Marshall, oversees the Duel, Mongolia other duties. Captain Esterbrook held that role on the day of the Duel.
• Etheric Engineers: design weapons and tools hat utilize Etheric energy.
• Pikers: an ethnic group of humans from another Spire—have fine swirling ritual scars on their faces.

Creatures / Monsters

• Mistmaw: enormous monster of the skies, eats ships whole
• Silkweavers: monstrous creatures tha weave the Ethersilk.
• New Creatures (spoiler link) in the Ventilation Tunnels—unidentified. Cats have gone missing.
• Etherwasp: a Surface wasp-like creature
• Creature List: list of creatures (some with links, some not)
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Objects / Substance

• Gauntlet: weapon strapped to wrist that uses Ethersilk
• Crystals: important energy source
• Airships Parts, Gear and Technology: List
• Etheric webbing: nearly invisible Ethersilk webbing that surrounds a ship and helps propel it using Etheric energy.
• Ethersilk: silk spun by the Silkweavers— catches Etheric currents; Has many uses, especially militarily;
• Etheric energy: energy currents of the Ether
• Shroud: a ship's barrier against enemy fire, nearly invisible.
• Lift Crystal: lifts an airship
• Trim crystals: gives an airship added Boyancy, not meant to work without the Lift Crystal
• Core Crystals: the main power Crystal
• Mark IV-D Lift Crystal: new lift Crystal sent by Spirearch to Predator. High powered for Battlecruisers.
• Etheric cannon:
• Lumin crystals: small crystals that emit light.
• Order of the Spire: a medal given for extraordinary service to the Spire.
• Crystal Cane: the cane of Efferus Effrenus Ferus—used for defense.
• High Manual: life guide written by Builders
• Goggles: necessary protective eyewear aboard Airships.
• Body Armor: Tunics lined with Ethersilk
• Shadelight: guides a shade (ghost) home.
• Scalelash: weapon of Verminocitors
• Weapons: List
• Wood: Dangerous, hard and costly to acquire from teh Surface

Other

• The Way: a belief, a kind of religion with monks and a temple, and a way of fighting.
• Duel: one person challenges another to single combat, armed or unarmed.
• Art and Literature: list
• Church of God in Heaven: common religion following God
• Cultures of the Spires: Albion, Auroran, Olymian, Dalosian, Nephesians, Atlanteans, Pikers...
• Etheric energy: the energy or power of the etheric currents that flow all around.

See Also

• Book List
• Next book: The Olympian Affair
• Previous book or short story: none yet