Paul Sinclair Books In Order

Publication Order of Paul Sinclair Books

The name ‘Paul Sinclair’ refers to the protagonist of JAG in Space, a science fiction series of novels written by John G. Hemry.

+The Story

‘JAG in Space’ in an accurate description of this series seeing as Paul Sinclair essentially plays a military attorney operating in space.

It is difficult to imagine a series of novels set in space that emphasizes the courtroom drama above all the space and the aliens and the science fiction jargon. But that is exactly what JAG in Space does. And most of John G. Hemry’s fans seem to believe that his blend of science fiction, legal drama, and military fiction genres works.

Paul Sinclair is an Ensign working aboard the USS Michaelson which is a United States owned and operated spaceship. At the end of the 21st century, humans began to venture into space.

The world’s governments built spaceships, went out into the solar system and began to claim certain portions of it. At the start of the JAG in Space series, the Milky Way is no different from an ocean on planet earth.

Paul Sinclair is definitely dealing with the vastness of space but, once the novelty of it all wore off, once the wonder of traversing the galaxy faded, it did not take the governments of the world long to settle into the same old patterns and create environments similar to those seen on earth.

As such, when he signs up for the US Navy and boards the USS Michaelson, Paul Sinclair finds that life on the spaceship is no different from life on any other seafaring vessel owned and operated by the Navy on Earth.

The command structures and protocols are all pretty similar. There are rules and regulations that govern the conduct of the men and women of the USS Michaelson, and as a JAG officer, it is Paul Sinclair’s job to interpret those rules and play his part in their enforcement.

Because this series is categorized as science fiction, there are expectations of intergalactic battles, alien civilizations, and otherworldly adventures. However, Hemry foregoes all that in favor of telling stories that emphasize Paul Sinclair’s legal abilities.

Over the course of the series, emergencies and crises keep arising. Things go wrong. People break the rules. Others are framed. Protocols get murky, and sometimes people die.

Each book in the JAG in Space series focuses on the Court Martials that result from all those crises. And Sinclair is always at the center of the action. Sometimes Sinclair’s moral code and integrity drive him to see justice done.

Other times the Ensign is out to save an innocent life from false accusations. In many cases, Sinclair is confused about his place on the USS Michaelson and the role he should be playing.

There is always a bigger game in motion. There are always political forces moving to achieve their own ends. Sinclair is always put in situations where he must figure out what is right and then put everything on the line to defend his beliefs.

Along the way, Sinclair finds love, but the relationship only ever adds more complexities to his life.

Most of the compliments thrown at the JAG in Space series revolve around the fact that it feels so grounded. Despite their classification as science fiction, the author makes these books feel believable, almost as if they could actually happen if the governments of the world put all other priorities aside and focused solely on building spaceships.

The author’s ability to recreate the Navy structure in space is definitely responsible for making the JAG in Space books feel so real. And the feat isn’t that shocking. After all, Hemry has a military background. He simply took his experience with the Navy and extrapolated it into a science fiction setting.

The result is an authentic product in which all the regulations and protocols on the USS Michaelson feel so plausible.

Because these books focus less on the science fiction and more on the legal drama that unfolds on the USS Michaelson, the author works hard to flesh his characters out, giving them distinct personalities and motivations.

The cast grows as the series progresses, giving the author, even more, pieces to play with.

There have been complaints about the lack of world-building, though. Hemry knows how to take the USS Michaelson and make it feel like any other Navy ship on earth. However, he doesn’t make much of an effort to flesh out the world beyond the ship and its Court Martials.

+The Author

John G. Hemry writes military science fiction. An American, Hemry was once an officer in the United States Military. He has since taken to using his military experience to write series like Stark’s War and Lost fleet. Besides his novels, Hemry has written many short stories, some of which have earned him accolades.

+A Just Determination

Ensign Paul Sinclair just left the Academy. His first assignment is on the USS Michaelson, a vessel tasked with keeping foreign vessels out of United States Sovereign Space.

The Captain of the warship is a man called Wakefield. And it doesn’t take Sinclair long to realize that Wakefield is anxious to see battle. Sinclair’s problems begin when Wakefield deems it necessary to intercept an alien vessel that is technically outside his patrol zone.

When the alien ship makes a threatening move, following orders with a vague interpretation, Wakefield destroys it. Unfortunately, further investigation proves that the alien ship was a research vessel manned by scientists.

Wakefield is summarily arrested and put on trial and Sinclair is called upon to participate in his prosecution. Sinclair does not like Wakefield. However, he doesn’t believe the captain deserves the harsh punishments being proposed, mostly because the rules of engagement under which Wakefield was operating were largely unclear.

In Sinclair’s opinion, Wakefield’s superiors bear the blame for his actions. However, Sinclair knows that pushing that angle could cost him his career. He must decide if Wakefield is worth the trouble.

+Burden of proof

Sinclair is a hero, or at least he should have been. After all, he was the one who led efforts to bring about calm and sanity after an explosion rocked the warship USS Michaelson.

However, when his girlfriend’s father comes into the picture, assigned the task of investigating the incident, he chooses to target Sinclair. Sinclair must use circumstantial evidence to prove the existence of a cover-up involving a rising star in the officer corps.