Ground State

Science seems to advance more rapidly with every passing year. Yet, some day in the not so distant future, the age of science will reach its peak and begin to fade away. Such is the setting for Ground State.

Unbeknownst to most of the world, the last great scientific discoveries are being made at a facility operated by the Committee. The Committee is a secretive government contractor that freely ignores ethics in order to accomplish its goals and to keep its employees in line.

Into this environment steps Tracy Stenzel, a bright and humble young woman. Tracy always wanted to be a scientist, but like many brilliant minds before her, she feels stymied by departmental politics during graduate school. As a result, Tracy quits school and accepts a promising position with the Committee. Within a year's time, Tracy is transformed into a cunning and valuable member of the group. However, she has also lost her innocence and all connections with her family. At first, Tracy accepts her new life and all of the sacrifices that go with it. But in time, Tracy becomes depressed, and her orderly way of life falls apart. Only time will tell whether or not Tracy has to make the ultimate sacrifice for her chosen path. Meanwhile, Tracy's co-workers are busily attempting advanced experiments in physics, biology, and chemistry. Some experiments succeed, while others fail miserably. But they all involve Tracy in some way.

Ground State is the first novel in the series, Odyssey of the Last Scientist. It is a story filled with suspense, action, and humor. Several important themes are explored in the novel, such as: the dangers of abandoning ethics and morals, the effects of totalitarianism on the individual, and the value of practicing discernment.

Ground State is a project that I began in the spring of 1996, although a couple of the chapters date back farther than that. When I started working on this book, I was mainly focused on the scientific experiments, and it made for a very short tale. Every few years, I would revisit the story, and I would end up editing it in some way. The finished story is actually focused on the people and their relationships. Science is still important to the story. It's the common bond that's shared by this group of intriguing people. Remove the science, and the plot would remain unchanged. But science defines who these people are. They trained to be scientists, and it's the kind of work they want to do. They can't imagine doing anything else.

You don't need to be a scientist to understand and enjoy the story. Ground State, and the novels to follow in this series, can be read and enjoyed on many levels. Science is about asking difficult questions and searching for answers. So is Ground State.

Anthony Stender is a graduate student and researcher in chemistry at Iowa State University. Anthony also holds a B.S. in mathematics from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, a M.S. in meteorology from the Sout...