Brian C. Thompson's love affair with history started at his grandmother's kitchen table, where his uncles and relatives traded war stories from World War II and Korea over coffee and cigarette smoke. Those tales lit a fire that never went out. By elementary school, he'd read every history book in the library — and when he ran out, the librarians let him pick which ones they ordered until he graduated.
One uncle's stories burned brighter than the rest. Frederick J. Gibson — "Uncle Gibby" — flew P-38 Lightnings, P-39 Airacobras, P-51 Mustangs, and C-47s across the Pacific. He earned the Bronze Star, the Air Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters, and ground combat credit at Iwo Jima. He rose to Lieutenant Colonel. And for decades, he sat at family gatherings in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and told stories that no one who heard them ever forgot. Brian was one of those people. Those stories became The American War.
That fire followed him to Southern Methodist University, where he earned a B.A. in History, and it burns through every page of his work. Meticulously researched and grounded in the real hardware, tactics, and politics of the era, The American War is a five-book series that reimagines the Pacific conflict from its first shots to its final reckoning. Its companion series, The European War, follows the other side of the same world — from Chamberlain's death to Churchill's rise to the fall of France and beyond. Both series converge at El Alamein on July 23, 1942.
A Date with Infamy, his debut novel, hit #1 New Release in Alternative History and Military Strategy History on Amazon, and has held a top-ten position in Military Strategy History since launch.
Brian lives in the Dallas-Fort Worth area with his wife, kids, and a dog named Voodoo who has yet to show any interest in naval strategy.
Every great story begins with family.
You can sign up to get updates about his writing here.
Amazon Bestselling Author
Brian C. Thompson's love affair with history started at his grandmother's kitchen table, where his uncles and relatives traded war stories from World War II and Korea over coffee and cigarette smoke. Those tales lit a fire that never went out. By elementary school, he'd read every history book in the library — and when he ran out, the librarians let him pick which ones they ordered until he graduated.
December 1941. The Japanese strike force is already at sea.
But this time, America is ready.
When a brilliant young codebreaker at Station HYPO picks up a chilling pattern in Japan’s radio silence, his discovery reaches the Oval Office. President Roosevelt, haunted by a lifetime of political instinct, makes a fateful decision: fortify Hawaii,...
The war America won at Pearl Harbor is far from over.
December 7, 1941 was supposed to be Japan’s greatest victory. Instead, it became a trap. The Japanese fleet was expected. The American carriers were waiting. And when the smoke cleared over Pearl Harbor, Admiral Kimmel held the initiative—and Lieutenant Jack Gibson, the Ace of Pearl Harbor,...
September 30, 1938. Neville Chamberlain steps off a plane at Heston Aerodrome waving a piece of paper signed by Adolf Hitler. “Peace for our time,” he tells the cheering crowd.
Four days later, his heart stops on a flight home from Paris. He is dead before the plane lands.
The Munich Agreement is signed. It is not ratified. Parliament has not...
October 4, 1938. Neville Chamberlain steps off a plane in London, waving a piece of paper and promising peace for our time. In our history, he lived long enough to see that promise broken. In this one, he doesn't.
When Chamberlain dies of a heart attack on the return...
Two weeks ago, I published my first novel. Today, A Date with Infamy is #2 in Military Strategy History on Amazon, ahead of Bret Baier, Ronen Bergman, Clausewitz, and every...
While A Date with Infamy is getting ready for launch, I've been heads down writing Book 2 of The American War series, The Gathering Storm. Six chapters left to go and the finish...
