Armin Shimerman Books

I think this book is the best I've read in a longtime. Fans of Armin Shimerman will love this. It is his first I've read outside of his Startrek books, but it won't be the last!

I admit, it's been a long time since I've picked up a science fiction book with the intent of reading it. I've been disenfranchised with the entire genre as a whole since I tried stomaching a few bad novels. But, lo and behold, this one made me sit up and take note! There is hope yet!

This novel in particular I was pleased with because of its historical accuracy to the Renaissance period while being unafraid to drop in a bit of alien involvement here and there. The main character, John Dee, is also particularly endearing. While he's easily recognizable as the protagonist and the one who is supposed to "save the world" (such as it is) he's still a bit of a scoundrel and a villain. I would, without a doubt, recommend this novel.

Stripped down to essentials, the plot is the basic "hero must save the earth." However, it's well embellished with a fast paced narrative and enough twists and turns to hold my interest throughout the book.

The main character, Dr. John Dee (who bears at least a passing resemblance to Armin Shimerman's "Deep Space Nine" character, Quark)is very much a Renaissance man--alchemist, astronomer, mathematician and spy--and he's not averse to taking a profit on the side. When Marie de Medici imprisons him in 1575 he is saved by an alien benefactor, Dyckon. Dyckon is a member of a long-lived alien race, the Roc, that has come to observe the evolution of humans. Saving Dee, though, is in direct defiance of regulations prohibiting contact between the Roc and the humans. Dyckon has no real idea what to do with Dee and places him in suspended animation. As Dyckon's career progresses, though, the evidence of his past indiscretion becomes too great a political liability and he resolves to dispose of Dee. Instead of simply killing Dee, though, Dyckon first revives him and Dee persuades Dyckon to release him on earth. Despite the passing of years (it's now 2099), Dee is certain that human nature will not have changed and his survival skills will serve him as well in the twilight of the 21st century as they did in the 16th century. The catch, though, is that the earth is headed toward either annihilation or slavery within the next two years. If Dee can't avert the disaster, he will share that fate. The final two-thirds of the book detail his efforts to defeat Royal Newton, whose attempts to develop an energy source using anti-matter give rise to the impending disaster.

I found Dr. Dee to be an enjoyable character--like Quark, he's something of a good-hearted scoundrel. While he always strives to advance his own interests, he's loyal to his Queen and his friends. He's self-confident, observant and clever, a quick study, but when faced with a situation from which he cannot extricate himself by his wits alone, he kills efficiently, without hesitation or remorse. Royal Newton, on the other hand, is greedy, arrogant, and abusive to his subordinates. However, he's not a madman, intent on destruction--he genuinely believes he's developing a power source which will make him wealthy, not a weapon which will destroy his world. It's measure of his arrogance that he never gives serious consideration to the possibility of destruction. (Or perhaps it's a measure of his lack of complexity--but this story is driven more by plot than character.)

Although I did enjoy the book, it felt a bit like it had been rushed into publication. There were several minor inconsistencies--a creature that's hatched rather than born reminiscing about his birth mother; a facility in Puerto Rico is attacked and Newton starts talking to his security chief about insurgents in Costa Rica; Newton's grandfather, R R Newton was born in "abject poverty," but later it's stated that his great-grandfather was sufficiently wealthy to begin amassing the large Newton art collection (OK, could have been on the other side of the family, but it needed a bit more explanation than was given), and even after binding two broken fingers together with a kerchief, Dee is able to put on gloves. It's minor stuff, to be sure, but it's the kind of thing that should have been caught and corrected. And I couldn't help but be surprised that, while the Stock Exchange was still going strong, the SEC was obviously defunct and without a successor.

The authors didn't fail to include plenty of Trek references, though. I particularly liked the juxtaposition of the Gutenberg Bible with the original "Star Trek" script. Then there was the research facility run by Marconi Alimo...and lots of others that Trekkers will enjoy spotting. (There are also quite a few Shakespeare references--a nod to another of Shimerman's interests.) All in all, I liked the book and found it quite readable.

Co-authors Armin Shimmerman and Michael Scott have done an *excellent* job in creating a believable, though often bleak, view of Earth's near future. This is good, solid science fiction, with aliens, advanced technology, societal commentary, the threatened end of the world as we know it -- all the best SF elements. Better still, the characters and dialogue are *fantastic* -- especially the hero, Dr. John Dee. An incredibly complex person, admirable yet by no means a saint, strong and self-sufficient yet sympathetic. The supporting characters are also intriguing and well developed. If this could be a series of novels, I'd love to see and learn more of Dr. Dee... on the other hand, after his amazing feats of derring-do in this book, any further adventures would run the risk of feeling anti-climactic! The "Star Trek" references scattered here and there through the story are certainly fun -- but you don't have to like "Trek" to appreciate this book. It's a though-provoking, self-contained story in the best traditions of classic SF -- and Dee is a unique, exciting hero. Don't miss this one!

This book is a superbly written, marvellously crafted story. Coming from me, this statement means something, as the book concentrates primarily on Quark and Rom as primary characters, and I've never been a fan of either of them (having felt that the ferengi in general were portrayed in a way that seemed a caricature). But in this book, they were definitely given depth and a full rounding of their personalities, WITHOUT seeming to exceed the parameters of what had previously been established for the characters. Quite a trick. Further, many interesting and worthwhile points are made regarding the attitudes of the other characters toward the ferengi -- attitudes tending toward outright racism, if not quite crossing the line. I highly recommend this book, even if I do have MINOR quibbles with the ending -- there are a couple of loose ends left untied, and I find a basic assumption dubious, (I can't give more details without giving a spoiler) but given how well the book is written in general, I'll forgive it a couple of minor quibbles.

This is my first Deep Space Nine novel. My son and I got into the series (which I totally missed in first run because of living in Taiwan) and I promised not to watch any episodes without him. To fill the gap, I thought why not try a book. The 34th rule of acquisition is War is Good for Business (keep in mind the 35th rule is Peace is Good for Business). In general DS9 does a lot that ST can't do, and the core of that difference is the many different people and cultures that are central to the station. This book centers are Quark and his brother Rom who seem to be caught up in some plan of the Grand Nagus. Too many threads are spun out and not enough detail is flushed out in the end. That is kind of the weakness of DS9 in general though.

I'm not a huge fan of David R. George III (his first fire & ice book was really great but i lost interest somewhere halfway throug book 3), but he's really good in plotting, thinking out long-running scemes and strategies. And since it was just the one book, I thought he could not make it sooo difficult with plots, sub-plots, sub-sub-plots,... that I con't follow. I was mostly right. The story is complicated (or maybe it's just me, I'm nog a big scemer myself), and some parts of it are still unclear to me, but I liked it. It's a page-turner, allthough you know the big lines of how it's going to end (all the main characters still played in seizons to come), it keeps you wowndering, wanting to finish it in one haul (wich was not doable for me, I don't have that much free time).
Armin Shimmerman (the actor who plays Quark), gives the book an extra dimention, because he KNOWS Quark, he's been playing him for years, he knows how the character works, what he can and won't do...
But it's not just about Quark. It also deals with the other main characters, like Rom, Sisko, Odo and Kira and raises some racial issues: does Sisko see Quark as Quark or as just another Ferengi, whith all the prejudices that come with that term ?

I love this story it is one the best Deep Space Nine books ever written. The Ferengi are my most favorite race in the entire star trek universe who else could stab you in the back(in a business deal) and make you laugh at the same time. This book has both a good plot and plently of humor in typical Quark fashion.

This book would make an excellent espionage/thriller. In many ways, the plot reminds me of something Frederick Forsyth would write. Perhaps the authors may have read some books by him. The twists and surprising revelations at the end of this novel would satisfy any fan of intrigue and espionage. I honesty had no idea what was going to happen from chapter to chapter.

A highly valued religious artifact (the 9th orb of the prophets) which originated on the planet Bajor gets into the hands of the head of the Faringi Alliance (grand Negus Zek). Bajor then asks for it back since it belongs to them and Negus purchased it on the black market. Negus then places the item in an auction. Unsatisfied with the amount Bejor would be willing to pay for the orb, Negus bars them from the auction. This angers the head of Bejor (Shakaar) and causes friction between Faringis and Bejorans. The Bejorans and Faringis then start to trade blows with one another. Relations between the Faringi and Bejorans get worse and it affects Quark's relations with Kira as well as with others on DS9.

Quark plays a significant role in this story because he knows Negus Zek very well. Rom, Quark's brother also plays a significant part. In watching DS9, I remember Rom as a very simple-minded Faringi but this story shows a different side of him. Rom's character in this book is very consistent with the way I remember him on the TV show, but he is portrayed as a very courageous individual who has intelligent things to say. Also, this is the first time I've witnessed anger from Rom.

One of the best new ideas to be introduced in Star Trek, the Next Generation, was the Ferengi Alliance. While they are rapacious like the Klingons and Romulans, they are not warlike, unless you consider the practice of business to be war by other means. Given the seriousness with which the Ferengi conduct their business, their rules of acquisition can be considered the equivalent of a combination of Machiavelli's "The Prince" and Sun Tzu's "The Art of War."
While this book covers some of the rules of acquisition, the main focus is on the legends/history behind the development of the rules. As is the case with the stories that make up human religious foundations, the stories are a combination of fact, fable, embellishment and occasional outright lie. Nevertheless, they are fun to read, they are meant to be humorous and entertaining, rather than to be taken seriously. The premise is that Quark, the Ferengi barkeep in Star Trek Deep Space Nine, is narrating the tales to two human scribes. Once complete, the humans will then collect and edit them into the book. If you are not familiar with the Deep Space Nine series, then very little of the contents will make sense to you. However, if you watch the show, it will all make sense.
Creating a fictional society, complete with centuries of customs and folklore, is very hard. The authors do a good job of describing the greedy Ferengi, once you read the rules, you will understand that hew-mons and Ferengi are really not all that different.

"Legends of the Ferengi" is a hilarious spoof on fairy tales and folklore anthologies. As a folklorist myself, I found dozens of in-jokes that had me literally doubled over with laughter.

In the DS9 episode "Rules of Aquisition," the Ferengi Pel claims to know all 285 Rules of Aquisition plus the commentaries. This book gives you some of those commentaries --- at least, for the 70 Rules that were actually revealed on the series. The authors, Ira Behr and Robert Wolfe, wrote most of the DS9 Ferengi episodes. Now they give you the story behind each of the Rules, including #113, the "Rule that dare not speak its name."

You will also learn the first two words that any Ferengi learns in the Hew-Mon language ("No refunds"), The ten most famous insults in Ferengi history (see p.32) and the story of the infamous villain Drek, M.H.N.L.I.I. (May His Name Live In Infamy), who actually cut his prices and gave his customers BARGAINS, thereby causing the Ferengi economy to crash. Which is one reason why every Ferengi child is duly warned about the dangers of Real Life through supernatural horror stories about that bogeyman of bogeymen -- the Smiling Partner! And so on. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, which has lots of great B&W stills from the series, too. Drek was right --- some things really ARE bargains!

While it doesn't cover all the Rules of Acquisition--only roughly a quarter of the alleged 285 were mentioned on the shows before the next-to-last episode of DS9 said they were no longer being taught--it's still a fun read. It consists of little parables and stories and games to illustrate what the Rules were trying to pass on, such as "There is no substitute for success" involving a riot at a public event on Ferenginar because a band called Success never appeared. To top it off, the DS9 producers made it "official" by mentioning some of the stuff that appears in it in episodes, like Sisko's middle name and a couple of popular Ferengi beverages.

As a warning to potential buyers: if you bought the Rules of Acquistion book and then buy this one, Quark reminds you at one point that you were suckered into buying the same stuff twice. But besides that, this is a hilarious book with tons of Star Trek inside references. Ira Steven Behr and Robert Hewitt Wolfe wrote nearly all the "Ferengi episodes" of DS9 so this book is a real treat. So line Quark's pockets with latinum and get both.

"Legends of the Ferengi" is a much more thought out and fun book than it's previously released cousin "The Ferengi Rules of Acquisition." Every known rule from the series is listed with an excellent backstory, or history if you will, of each rule. The authors did a wonderful job with book and you can tell they had fun making the stories up. This is one of those rare trek extras where even a non hard core fan will get a kick out of it. Thank you to author's for some of the best laughs in trek fiction.

in this cassette there is a fantastic interpretation of the war of the worlds, although you can't see anything, the actors are so good that you feel yourself in another strange world...

A few years ago I purchased the cassette tape version of this play and enjoyed it a lot. Unfortunately, I lost my copy and have wanted to listen to this play many times since then. I'm glad I purchased this item again and look forward to hearing it again.

After purchasing this audio novel I was initially upset because it was only an hour long. I much prefer my audio novels to be at least 2 hours long. With a foul mode in place I began to listen to the tape. In a few short minutes I was quickly swept up into the story, recogizing my favorite Star Trek actors as they played their parts. The audio novel although short has an excellant production quality. The story is concise and easy to follow. I would like to thank John DeLancie for directing this project and for the participaction of the other actors. I would not hesitate to recommend this audio novel and look forward to others from John DeLancy, Lenard Nimoy and the rest of the Star Trek gang. (The RAMA science fiction series would be great.) Please make them at least 2 hours though.

I bought this for my niece but did not realize it was a play not a book. She did not like it and has not read it

I teach this play in high school, and students just love it. If you use the book with the movie, they can study the texts and learn a lot about what is the truth and the value of fighting for it and overcoming our laziness. It also explains well the jury system and racism in the 1950s. Overall you teach them a lot about character and a lot about America. The movie is also excellent.

On April 24, 2008, I was fortunate enough to see a mesmerizing production of "Twelve Angry Men," the professional Equity touring company of the Roundabout Theatre's 2004 rendering of the play. The road company starred Richard Thomas as Juror Number 8, but this play is an ensemble acting piece, not a single star vehicle.
In the play the all-white jurors have no names:
#1 is the foreman, a high school football coach
#2-a fairly neutral guy whose kid has the mumps
#3-sadistic, has had run-in with his own son, nasty, says of the defendant, "He's got to burn."
#4-a methodical note-taker who wears glasses
#5-grew up in the slums
#6-an ordinary Joe, a house painter
#7-rabid sports fan who wants to be at his ball game, will change his vote just to get out of the jury room
#8-an architect, man who has doubts, has courage to buck the crowd, without his kind, justice would perish
#9-an observant old man
#10-a racist who spouts his venomous bias about "them"
#11-an immigrant with a German accent who has more faith in democracy than some native-born Americans
#12-an advertising man who goes along with the crowd
Jurors Numbers 3, 7, and 10 are the "bad guys."
The jury is asked to render a death sentence verdict for a sixteen-year old troubled kid who is accused of killing his father. The first vote reveals eleven are in favor of a guilty verdict, and Juror Number Eight votes "not guilty" because he has doubts. The play is about the jurors' lack of understanding of the legal concept of "reasonable doubt." These are not impartial jurors. The boy's defense counsel did a poor job, but the jurors acted more on prejudice than on fair-mindedness. They were too quick to pull the switch on a human life.
It's a melodrama in which everything happens too quickly. The audience has to suspend its disbelief for this play that was performed without an intermission when I saw it. The author uses gimmicks, but they work.
Though the action of the play took place in 1954, it could take place today, because juries still haven't learned to grapple with "reasonable doubt."

Nine Lives Too Many
The Daemon in Our Dreams
The Rice Queen Spy
Clawed Back from the Dead

Long before any John Grisham novel, there was Twelve Angry Men. I had to read this play in grade school, and it is the reason why I am hooked on both mysteries and plays to this day. As you read, you imagine yourself sitting in that jury room and how you would be thinking and reacting in the same situation. The movie, too, is just as superb!

Based on Reginald rose's teleplay, which then became an Academy Award nominated film, TWELVE ANGRY MEN is dynamite listening. The cast is stellar, including Dan Castellaneta (remembered for the voice of Homer Simpson); Jeffrey Donovan (to be seen in Sundance's Come Early Morning); Hector Elizondo (Pretty Woman and the Princess Diaries); Robert Foxworth (who played juror #3 on Broadway); James Gleason (The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd); Kevin Kilner (Shopgirl); Richard Kind (Spin City, Curb Your Enthusiasm); Armin Shimerman (Star Voyager); and Joe Spano (Hill Street Blues).

As they've shown in the past, LA Theatre works presents the best in audio drama, always offering award worthy performances by gifted actors before a live audience. Twelve Angry Men is one more amazing dramatic experience.

As most know, the Twelve Angry Men comprise a jury that is charged with determining the fate of a 19-year-old boy who stands accused of murdering his father. The action takes place during one afternoon as their deliberations reveal the biases and character of each man. This is a drama that has stood the test of time, speaking to us as eloquently today as it did some 50 years ago.

Riveting listening!

- Gail Cooke

Military science experiment go awry realising dimensional emission that causes all electro-magnetic fields to fail. Planes fall from the sky, all communication is lost, society degrades into anarchy... Sure sounds like Sci-Fi to me.

Most of the population gets ill and begins to die. Some start to change into magical creatures, some good, some evil. A group of the good ones determined to save themselves start walking cross country to the strange forces epicenter hoping to turn it off... If thats not the classic fantasy quest, then what is?

The story has a similar feel as Steven King's The Stand and although it may not be in the same literary league it was a very enjoyable read.

Some here have mentioned that it reads like a mini-series script, in some respect I agree... but it would be one I'd tune in to watch.

I loved the book. It picked up quick, kept me glued and I was fascinated throughout. I can't wait to read the rest of the trilogy. I read a great deal and it is one of the better fantasy books I've read.

It had a very interesting premise, but the execution was flawed. It read like a two hour pilot for what would be a syndicated t.v. series. At the beginning, the authors are flipping back and forth between so many characters that the reader doesn't really have time to develop a connection to any of the characters.

I had hopes for this book, but about half way through I simply couldn't go any further. The book is filled with uninteresting characters that are very difficult to get into, doing nothing interesting for page after page. Give this one a miss!

The book has been pretty good so far. Not great, but entertaining. It reads a bit like a miniseries, which isn't surprising considering the marquee author, Zicree.

BUT, while the first and third books in the trilogy are readily available, the second is out of print and can currently only be acquired used at exorbitant prices. Dozens of dollars for a used paperback???

It makes no business sense either. I'm not about to pay an arm and a leg for book two, which means the publisher loses the sale on book three. I could buy the audio book or e-book, but I dislike those formats intensely.

Trilogus interruptus, I guess.