“Prophets of War” by Jack Brown

Prophets of War

Jack Brown
Morgan House Press (2025)
ISBN:  979-8999554505
Reviewed by Terri Stepek for Reader Views (12/2025)

How is it possible that author Jack Brown created a plausible work of fiction with genuine characters, sharp critiques of current systems, and a shocking worldview that will absolutely stun the reader in less than 200 pages? I don’t have the answer, but Brown’s latest work, Prophets of War, offers everything a fan of thrillers, suspense, and intrigue could possibly want in a short read.

I’ll admit it: I am usually not overly excited about novellas. The time constraint in such a short tale usually means that the character development suffers to the point that it’s hard for me to get completely involved. However, when I read the blurb for this book, I was fascinated. But it was upon reading the first page of Prophets of War that I was absolutely captivated:

I had it all worked out. My own father had started a business of war that was responsible for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. His offshore empire fueled the invasion, raking in billions in blood money.

My dad—the modern-day Adolf Hitler. Unbelievable.

Before I knew what was happening, I was taken on a mad journey where “The monsters didn’t live in bunkers anymore—they lived in boardrooms. On private islands. In portfolios.” Told by the main character, Alex, about his descent into an enlightenment he never anticipated. After all, he had just begun his career as a financial advisor after passing his Series 7 exam. He was headed toward becoming a young Master of the Universe, in his words. But through a series of seemingly everyday moments, he began to discover a pattern of deceit and sought answers.

He began digging into certain security investment funds. Investments that he had encouraged his customers to put their money into. But what exactly did they do? Uncovering shell corporation after shell corporation, he finally began to recognize certain players: a former US president (Robert Langston), a Russian oligarch, and a wealthy investor Alex personally refers to as Devil Bill. Perhaps worst of all, Alex’s father seems to be right in the center of things.

Langston explained the business: A private war machine backed by investors funneling money into Russia’s military efforts and profiting from both battlefield victories and financial market manipulations.

This wasn’t about winning a war and gaining ground. It was about profiting from the very business of war, and the flux of the world market systems in response to the war. This was big. Frightening. How does one stand up against the most powerful people on the planet? How does a likable frat boy trying to become a Master of the Universe turn into the whistleblower for the most reprehensible financial scheme ever conceived? And how can he survive?

Suddenly, this little novella was reading like Enemy of the State with a touch of Wag the Dog thrown in. Except this isn’t a Hollywood concept, it’s straight from the halls of Wall Street. And it’s not a fictitious war: real people—innocent people— are dying so that investors can reap a higher profit. Alex, with his new insight and greater plan, may have tipped his hand.

Mr. Brown goes to great lengths before the reader begins this tale of deceit and treachery to make it clear that this is entirely a work of fiction with fictional characters. He is not implying that Russia invaded Ukraine because of a small conglomerate of world-leading investors who wanted higher ROI. The characters involved are intended to be purely fictional, although Brown admits that “Devil Bill” was the actual nickname of William Avery Rockefeller Sr., the father of John D. Rockefeller. But the Devil Bill in the book is purely fictional, and is aptly named. 

I did feel that the ex-President, Langston, had a few too many traits in common with a certain literal ex-President to be entirely circumstantial. Perhaps it was intentional. Perhaps it was a subliminal event on the part of Mr. Brown, or even on my part. Maybe I read too much into the character. But I don’t think I’ll be the only one who will find himself reminded of a particularly notable individual who seems to polarize voters. You may find this part extremely entertaining, or you might find it annoying. My advice is to move beyond any notion of this particular character’s manner to a real person and stay in the story. However you feel about it, move beyond and discover what the author has to say.

Prophets of War by Jack Brown is a stark, high fiction read with plenty of potential for profound thought and conversation. This striking novella is highly recommended for fans of thriller/suspense reads, especially about espionage, high finance, politics, conspiracy, and/or crimes. Readers don’t need to be Wall Street wizards to follow the plot. Just buckle up and hold on tight. I’m expecting great things from this mind-altering, illuminating work.