The Grand Engine

The Grand Engine is a fiction novel written by Pemblish author Markus Jobul in 55GE. It is one of the most critically acclaimed works in the science-fiction 
The book is set in the country of Penblia, a geographically vast and sprawling nation that is culturally obsessed with railway locomotives.
The book follows the titular The Grand Engine (TGE), a gargantuan steam locomotive that represents the zenith of Penblia’s railway industry.
The TGE travels on the Penblian Belt, a route across the country from west to east on a journey that takes months to end to end. The route was a grand road that formed the backbone of trade in the age of horses and carts, only to be covered with rails in the enlightened age of rail. 
The first half of the book focuses on the grandeur and spectacle of the TGE. Public masses gather to watch the TGE pass and it has become a festival for many places across the country. Those that travel aboard have the choice of many shops and restaurants to frequent on their long voyage.
The second half of the book focuses on a war with the Dordillans, a people who live on floating islands in the sky and who use their airships to attack Penblia. The TGE is increasingly outfitted with weapons of war, first to defend itself and later to project military power across the country and attack the Dordillans.
WIP
the western capital of Leyton to the far eastern port of Szardio.