The Silk Empress

The boy called "Pig", grew up reading stories of airships and boy adventurers in penny dreadfuls. At twelve he finds himself orphaned and apprenticed to Feng Po McLaren, semi reformed air-pirate, first mate of the airship Wu Zetian along the High Silk Road between China and Europe. Now he is facing air pirates, rebels, five unusual women of dangerous abilities, and a clockwork dragon.

This seemed all so much easier in the books.