shimerman has co-written a series of books in which he provides a science fictional basis for the life of dr. john dee. the first novel in the series, "the merchant prince", was co-written with irish author michael scott, known for his nicholas flamel series. published in 2000, it features the historical figure john dee being placed in suspended animation in 1575 by an alien race known as the roc and awakening in 2099. the cover features shimerman in elizabethan garb. shimerman commented: "john dee really did exist. we're pretty sure he was a member of queen elizabeth's secret service, which put it in his purview to kill if he needed to. the elizabethan period was a much more perilous time; you had to be quick with a dagger and nefarious in order to survive". shimerman thought there were aspects of both himself and his "" character, quark, in the novel's interpretation of john dee. shimerman commented: "there are aspects of quark similar to dr. dee, and undoubtedly there are aspects of dr. dee similar to armin shimerman, which would make him seem like quark as well".