Product Description

For once, business is going well for Quark, not that anyone on Deep Space Nine™ truly appreciates his genius for finding profit in the most unlikely of circumstances. Quark is even looking forward to making the deal of a lifetime -- when he suddenly finds himself stuck right in the middle of a major dispute between Bajor and the Ferengi Alliance. It seems that the Grand Nagus is refusing to sell one of the lost Orbs of the Prophets to the Bajoran government, which has responded by banning all Ferengi activity in Bajoran space.

With diplomatic relations between the two cultures rapidly breaking down, Quark loses his bar first, then his freedom. But even penniless, he still has his cunning and his lobes, and those alone may be all he needs to come out on top -- and prevent an interstellar war! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (38)

inspiring
Although I am just finishing this book, I felt compelled to say what a great book it is!I think this was Armin Shimerman's first book for DS9 stories, and he and David George produced what should become a classic.Not only does it involve some of our favorite characters from DS9, but it also includes some informative starship data and some excellent "action" sequences.
But, this book also explores some in-depth characterization I find really inspiring.I liked Shimerman's lectures--to the British audiences!--about Shakespeare, and he has done another masterful job in telling this story, too.Of course, veteran writer David R. George, III, is certainly no slouch in writing great ST novels!Together, they weave an intricate, absorbing narrative that fans of the series are sure to appreciate.
Mr. Shimerman and Mr. George, please give us more!

The 34th Rule of Acquisition
If I recall the Ferengi Rules of Acquisition, the 34th Rule says something like:"Peace is good for business"!I've pre-ordered this book and I'm not sure when it is scheduled to arrive.When it does, I'm looking forward to reading it.

Marvellously written story.
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.

DS9 Centering on Quark and Rom
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.

Can Quark prevent a war ?
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 ? ... Read more

Product Description

For seven years, Armin Shimerman played the diminutive entrepreneur Quark on Star Trek. Deep Space Nine®. Now, he teams up with author Michael Scott to chronicle the tale of a diminutive entrepreneur straight out of Earth history: Dr. John Dee.

Despite his lack of physical stature, the five-foot-tall Dee was a towering figure in Renaissance Europe: alchemist, necromancer, scientist, philosopher, adviser to royalty, enemy to the vicious de Medici clan -- and confidant of Dyckon, a member of the alien race known as the Roc.

Ancient and wise, the Roc have come to Earth to observe the evolution of humanity, not to interfere. But during the course of his studies, Dyckon has come to call John Dee friend. When the de Medicis arrest Dee in Venice, Dyckon chooses to save his friend from prison and leave him in suspended animation until the year 2099. The "philosopher of Albion" wakes in a confusing future where humanity is on the brink of developing the ultimate weapon -- a weapon that will mean the destruction of the human race!

The only thing that can prevent Armageddon in the future is a genius from the past -- but can even the great John Dee save humanity from itself? ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Ah, good ol' sci-fi...
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.

Classic science fiction adventure!
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!

The Merchant Prince Rules
I think this book is the best I've read in a longtime. Fans of ArminShimerman will love this. It is his first I've read outside of his Startrekbooks, but it won't be the last!

An Entertaining Summer Read
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 thebook.

The main character, Dr. John Dee (who bears at least a passingresemblance to Armin Shimerman's "Deep Space Nine" character,Quark)is very much a Renaissance man--alchemist, astronomer, mathematicianand spy--and he's not averse to taking a profit on the side.When Marie deMedici 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 toobserve the evolution of humans.Saving Dee, though, is in direct defianceof regulations prohibiting contact between the Roc and the humans.Dyckonhas no real idea what to do with Dee and places him in suspended animation. As Dyckon's career progresses, though, the evidence of his pastindiscretion becomes too great a political liability and he resolves todispose of Dee.Instead of simply killing Dee, though, Dyckon firstrevives him and Dee persuades Dyckon to release him on earth.Despite thepassing of years (it's now 2099), Dee is certain that human nature will nothave changed and his survival skills will serve him as well in the twilightof the 21st century as they did in the 16th century. The catch, though, isthat the earth is headed toward either annihilation or slavery within thenext 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 tothe impending disaster.

I found Dr. Dee to be an enjoyablecharacter--like Quark, he's something of a good-hearted scoundrel. While healways strives to advance his own interests, he's loyal to his Queen andhis friends.He's self-confident, observant and clever, a quick study, butwhen faced with asituation from which he cannot extricate himself by hiswits alone, he kills efficiently, without hesitation or remorse. RoyalNewton, on the other hand, is greedy, arrogant, and abusive to hissubordinates.However, he's not a madman, intent on destruction--hegenuinely believes he's developing a power source which will make himwealthy, not a weapon which will destroy his world.It's measure of hisarrogance that he never gives serious consideration to the possibility ofdestruction.(Or perhaps it's a measure of his lack of complexity--butthis story is driven more by plot than character.)

Although I did enjoythe book, it felt a bit like it had been rushed into publication.Therewere several minor inconsistencies--a creature that's hatched rather thanborn reminiscing about his birth mother; a facility in Puerto Rico isattacked and Newton starts talking to his security chief about insurgentsin Costa Rica; Newton's grandfather, R R Newton was born in "abjectpoverty," but later it's stated that his great-grandfather wassufficiently 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 moreexplanation than was given), and even after binding two broken fingerstogether 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 andcorrected.And I couldn't help but be surprised that, while the StockExchange was still going strong, the SEC was obviously defunct and withouta successor.

The authors didn't fail to include plenty of Trekreferences, though.I particularly liked the juxtaposition of theGutenberg Bible with the original "Star Trek" script.Then therewas the research facility run by Marconi Alimo...and lots of others thatTrekkers will enjoy spotting.(There are also quite a few Shakespearereferences--a nod to another of Shimerman's interests.)All in all, Iliked the book and found it quite readable. ... Read more

Product Description

I was born on the thirteenth day of July in the eighteenth year of the reign of His Glorious Majesty Henry VIII, in the one thousand five hundred and twenty-seventh year after our Lord's death. I had the great good fortune to be born an Englishman, and when I came of age in both knowledge and reason, I served my country and my queen, Elizabeth Regina. Trapped by the Medici, I was condemned as a heretic and a spy, walled up alive, condemned to die for queen and country. Instead the hand of Fortune swept me up and I was spared.

It is now the eighteenth day of March in the year 2101, and I am as trapped as I was in Venice. Fortune's servant, Dyckon, a creature called the Roc -- who by his very countenance calls forth the living visage of the Dark Ones -- swears he will find a way to send me home, to my time, my place, my queen. But the forces of this time and place rage against me as surely as did the Medicis. Others of Dyckon's race even now look to wipe clean the face of the planet of every human. The powers of this time plot to subjugate me with their horrible machine -- an identity chip. And if these powers were to find out that I was in league with the Roc, I would be condemned.

It will take all the skills I learned as a spymaster to keep me free, to stop the Roc, and set me on the path to home.

THE SPELLBINDING CONCLUSION OF THE SAGA OF THE MERCHANT PRINCE, DOCTOR JOHN DEE. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

If you enjoyed the original Merchant Prince, don't buy this book
This book is essentially a 350-page diatribe about human rights abuses by the government that are allowed to happen in the name of the war against terror--although in this book it's the war against aliens. The first book in the trilogy, The Merchant Prince, was a fun read. The second, The Merchant Prince Volume 2: Outrageous Fortune, was also interesting although a bit more serious. Capital Offense, however, is nothing more than a rant by the author. I'm not going to judge his take on the matter, and actually found it to be pretty convincing, but what I wanted and expected was more of what I read in the original Merchant Prince.

This is also the only book of the trilogy where Armin Shimerman (who played Quark in Star Trek and Principal Snyder in Buffy) did all the writing. In the first two books, he paired with experienced science fiction authors. The difference is telling, not in the quality of the writing but in the quality of the plot. ... Read more

Product Description

The fight against the root of all evil requires a master!

Despite being a time traveler and literal Renaissance man, Dr. John Dee has adjusted admirably to life on Earth in 2100. But his mercantile genius is once again put to the test when he and his twenty-second-century comrades, Morgan d'Winter and Kelly Edwards, are called upon to protect their world from the machinations of an alien renegade posing as a messiah. When the chips are down, only John Dee can save the past, present, and future from this pretender and his expanding army of human zombies! ... Read more

Product Description
An audio crash course for the profit-hungry throughout the galaxy. These tales will provide "Deep Space Nine" fans with an insider's knowledge of the Ferenegi and their enterprising ways. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

Legends of The Ferengi
I was so pleased to get the book.It is out of print now and the price was very good.I is nice to have all of the The Ferengi Rules of Acquisition in one place.Also the stories are very funny.

Legends/history behind the Ferengi rules of acquisition
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.

Absolutely wonderful!
"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.

Great spoof on folklore anthologies
"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!

Sucker!
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. ... Read more

Product Description
For young lawyer Cal Griffin, it’s just another New York day, full of stress, screw-ups, deadlines, and anxiety – that is, until the city is rocked by a series of bizarre tremors and he is engulfed in the surreal chaos of a new world of nightmare and wonder. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (22)

Disappointed
How could Barbara Hambly put her name to this Book? I am a true fan of B.H., but this was a real disappointment. I plowed through it until the end thinking it had to pick up or have a twist - but nothing!

Confusing
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.

Very Entertaining Sci-Fi / Fantasy
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.

Excellent Read
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.

Uninteresting Characters & very slow plot line
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! ... Read more

Product Description
Listen, amazed as actors from television's Star Trek re-create the "eyewitness" report that caused a nationwide panic in 1938 when first performed on the radio by Orson Welles and the Mercury Theatre Company. Narrated by Leonard Nimoy of the original Star Trek series, the breathless pace and convincing details of this classic drama are brilliantly reinterpreted in this full-cast production by L.A. Theatre Works. Joining Leonard Nimoy are Star Trek actors Jerry Hardin, Gates McFadden, Dwight Schultz, Armin Shimerman, Brent Spiner and Wil Wheaton. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

war of the worlds CD
I am a trekkie from way back and the cast of Star Trek does the voices on this H.G Wells classic.I love it!I would recommend it to anyone who likes books on CD.

HG Wells by Star Trek Stars
This is a wonderful unique piece of theater performed by accomplished television stars from Star Trek. It is not around a lot but if you get a chance to hear this, you can enjoy the fine work of HG Wells' classic sci- fi story and the talents of the skilled voices of the Trek crew. A keeper for Trekkies and theater buffs.

a fantastic interpretation of the war of the worlds!
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...

Glad to buy it once again...
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.

Great one hour summary with special sound effects ...
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. ... Read more