Ellie herself would be the first to embrace the nerd label—and proudly. However, she is far from being the socially awkward streotype that label usually denotes. If her social network is small, it's because her interests lie foremost in acquiring and honing the mental tools she needs to unravel the mysteries of the world around her. And being the youngest of her group of friends, she's used to having to push just a little harder to remain on the same intellectual level.
The World
The whos and where/whens of the Benders trilogy
As the story develops over the course of fourteen months in three books, the characters find themselves far from their small, secluded hometown. Meet those characters and get a few behind-the-scenes looks at some of those far-flung locations.
Benders
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In the most likely place for such unlikely events to occur, four friends discover a mysterious device and set about unlocking its secrets. When they realize its use could destroy everything they know, they commit themselves to its destruction, no matter the cost.
The Characters
Ellie Henderson, her sister Sam, and their friends Aaron and Ryan attend Los Alamos High School. Still only a junior, Ellie’s biggest concern is getting a grip on her American History term paper. The rest of the group is already eagerly looking ahead to the coming fall and the beginning of college. The next few days will throw all of their futures into doubt.
Talk to Sam for five minutes and you'll think she's just a typical eighteen-year-old girl. After another five, you quickly sense a deep, emotional intelligence hidden just below a conciously created camoflauge of fashion knowledge and movie trivia. Sam's ability to connect with anyone almost instantly—even complete strangers—makes her essential in a crisis. She may not often cut her sister any slack, but she is intensely loyal and quick to defend the ones she loves.
Like Sam, Ryan Collins makes an effort to project the appearance of an everyday, well-rounded high school senior. He's active in multiple sports—most notably swimming—but his keen mind allows him to occupy a spot near the top of his class with little noticeable effort. Optimistic by nature, his relentlessly upbeat attitude helps keep spirits up when the chips are down.
Enroled into school early at the insistance of his father, Aaron Siskin compensated for perpetually being the youngest in his grade by concentrating entirely on academics. His seriousness and penetrating intellect make him one of the few people whose company Ellie truly enjoys. Ellie's purely platonic interest in Aaron makes her the one person around whom he can completely relax and be himself.
Their Challenge
Trespassing into a restricted area, the four friends chance upon a weathered wooden shack hidden far from the main facilities of the LAB. Once they realize their discovery poses a terrible, previously unimaginable danger, they commit to doing all they can to eliminate it. But does their plan come at too high a price?
The Primary Setting—Los Alamos, New Mexico
Isolated on an arid, high-desert plateau in central New Mexico, Los Alamos has hosted US Government laboratory facilities since the 1940s and the days of the clandestine Manhattan Project. No longer a top-secret location, the city’s research labs continue to be a center of scientific discovery and invention.
In-World: Work at the research facility is domniated by Los Alamos Biotechnologies, aka “the LAB.” The LAB is the main employer on the plateau.
View of Los Alamos from the west (Photo: Author)
Real-World: The Los Alamos National Laboratory—aka "the Lab"—is a scentific facility dedicated to improving national security through research into energy, health, improving the environment, and general technology development. Importantly, Los Alamos continues to monitor and maintain the readiness of the United States' nuclear arsenal.
Other Los Alamos Locations
In-World: Sam and Ryan have sushi at the Paper Crane, and Aaron treats Ellie to a midday meal at the Old Adobe Bistro. Diamond D's, the Atomic City Café, and Take Five Pizza also get a mention. So does the BB Wolf department store.
Real-World: If you're looking for good sushi in Los Alamos, try Origami, near Bathtub Row. You could visit the Blue Window Bistro for dinner, instead, and check out Ruby K's for lunch. The Starbucks across from the Manhattan Project Visitor Center has become the much nicer Sugar & Cream Café, but the kiosk at Smith's is still there, and the view really is spectacular.
Sadly, CB Fox, the real department store, closed down while I was writing Breakers, so you won't be able to visit the amazing candy counter and load up on chocolate truffles and buttercreams. Time Out Pizzeria, aka "Take FIve Pizza," is similarly now defunct.
Beyond Benders and Los Alamos
Warning—mild spoilers ahead! Although nothing discussed here will give away the plot, there are some subtle hints about the direction of the tale. You may wish to finish the entire Benders trilogy before you dive into the questions below.
Copyright © 2022 Cottonwood Books Publishing, LLC
All rights reserved
Copyright © 2022 Cottonwood Books Publishing, LLC
All rights reserved
