A powerful and haunting new novel is capturing the attention of readers and historians alike. In Black Cattle, author John Meilink pulls back the curtain on the murky and often overlooked world of 17th-century European slave traders—those who brokered human lives for wealth and power in the early years of global commerce.
Set against the stark and chilling backdrop of West Africa’s maritime frontier, Black Cattle follows the lives of men entangled in the brutal enterprise of the black slave trade. But this is not just a story of ships, transactions, and distant colonies. It is an unflinching psychological excavation of the minds and morals of the men who profited from dehumanization—and the silent machinery that kept it all in motion.
"Black Cattle is about more than history," says Meilink. "It is about the choices people make, the values they uphold or betray, and the consequences of seeing others as commodities. I wanted to create a narrative that is intimate yet epic—a mirror to the past that also challenges the present."
Drawing on extensive historical research and rendered in taut, evocative prose, Black Cattle offers a rare literary journey into the early chapters of one of humanity’s darkest legacies. Rather than presenting faceless villains or distant victims, Meilink invites readers into a morally ambiguous world where greed, silence, and self-justification created a system as enduring as it was inhumane.
The title itself—Black Cattle—is a reference to how enslaved Africans were seen by their captors: not as people, but as livestock. Through this stark metaphor, Meilink forces readers to reckon with the language of dehumanization and its long echo into modern times.
This debut novel arrives at a moment when societies worldwide are reexamining colonial histories and the enduring consequences of slavery. With its literary craft and moral urgency, Black Cattle stands as a timely and essential contribution to this global conversation.
About the Author:
John Meilink is a writer of historical fiction whose work explores the intersections of commerce, power, and morality. Black Cattle is his latest contribution to literature, seeking to confront history with honesty and integrity.
Book Name: Black Cattle: A Gruesome Story
Author Name: John Meilink
ISBN Number: 9083487121
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