It’s the late seventeenth century, and the slave trade shapes West Africa as European powers battle for dominance. In particular, the Dutch West India Company (WIC) stands out as a key player. Kingdoms rise and fall depending on their European alliances and ability to secure slaves. In this complex scenario, WIC Director-General Nicholaas Sweerts faces challenges from within and outside, repelling rivals, managing subordinates, and capitalizing on every opportunity for profit. Reverend Duisterbloem faces a crisis of faith. Slave overseer Jan Michielsz wrestles with living as a black man with Dutch ancestry. These and other characters’ lives fill the pages of John Meilink’s Black Cattle.

Don’t expect a story of good versus evil. This is a novel about the cold, brutal pursuit of wealth and power. Human lives are assets like any others, and betrayal and violence are par for the course. John Meilink puts a lot of effort into making the setting as authentic and immersive as possible. Look forward to vivid descriptions, illustrations, and intricate historical details. Speaking of which, history buffs are in for a treat. The story features real people, events, and general background. You will also learn more about the historical context from the notes and glossary. But while I enjoyed the historically inspired deals, schemes, and battles, the characters were a pleasant surprise. There are no saints in this novel, but that doesn’t mean the characters are just monsters or machines. Different philosophies, motivations, and backstories humanize the characters, making them compelling. Overall, Black Cattle is a must-read for fans of historical novels.

In Black Cattle by John Meilink, Nicholaas Sweerts was born into a lower class with limited opportunities for self-improvement. But he was determined to become better than his father. He joins the Dutch West India Company, and with dedication and hard work, he goes on to become the director general of the company. At the Gold Coast, the company has signed treaties with various groups, including the Denkyira. The African tribes that are in constant wars with each other sell captured opponents as slaves, but in recent years, there has been peace, which has made the supply of slaves scarce. Things have been made worse with fierce competition from other European powers like the English and Germans. With the acquisition of firearms, some Africans are also raiding communities under Dutch protection. How will things unfold?

Black Cattle by John Meilink is an interesting read that kept me glued to my chair. It captures the horrors of the trans-Atlantic slave trade. This thought-provoking work piqued my curiosity about the role played by Africans in selling their own kinsmen into slavery, a fact that is rarely captured in many works. It also got me thinking about religion and its involvement in the slave trade. The writing was crisp, engaging, and filled with well-crafted dialogue that brought the story to life. The characters were well-developed, and the reader will also appreciate the excellent narration, which adds to the overall beauty of the work. The vivid descriptions of the events and places also help capture the reader's imagination. This was a good read, and I look forward to reading something else by John Meilink.

Black Cattle by John Meilink revolves around the 17th-century Dutch West India Company’s slave-trading operations along the Gold Coast. Mussulman Ali organizes captives and moves them toward the coast for sale, while at Elmina Castle, Director-General Sweerts resolves disputes over enslaved people, monitors Dutch Company policy, and directs naval and military actions. Aldemar Burghoutsz joins ships like the Purmer II and Griffin, undertaking voyages transporting enslaved people and goods, often alongside Gillis Graauw. Bomba Jan supervises slaves on ships, mediates between African intermediaries and European traders, and oversees logistics at ports. Quassie Patoe manages Asafo warriors, negotiates with local kingdoms, and coordinates weapons and slaves for trade. The plot tracks these operations—captures, shipments, naval maneuvers, and enforcement of Company authority—across jungles, forts, and the ocean, following the complex logistics of trade and conflict.

Black Cattle by John Meilink is a brilliantly forceful read, and the author leaves no distance between readers and the brutal machinery of the seventeenth-century colonial trade. The novel goes a long way in showing how European ambition, African resistance, African participation, and commercial networks converge, exposing all their mechanisms. The scenes are anchored in meticulous research, shown through fort routines, maritime labor, coastal negotiations, and even the cold administrative language surrounding human bodies. Instead of presenting officers, intermediaries, and merchants as heroes or villains, the book highlights their decisions and language to reveal an order built on punishment, hierarchy, and enforced obedience. Overall, Meilink leans into what powered these ventures, and I am in awe of both its literary achievement and historical value.

Black Cattle by John Meilink is set in the year 1687, when the slave trade was at its peak. The story follows Skipper Aldemar Burghoutsz and Gillis Graauw as they try to live with the choices they have made. Being part of the slave trade, Aldemar tries to run from the demons of his past while Gillis tries to find a balance between loyalty and guilt. Together, they navigate a world where European traders, African rulers, and Moorish intermediaries clash for power, profit, and survival. They are part of a system where the powerful maintain their dominance with an iron fist, and human life is nothing more than currency. Gillis and Aldemar must find a way to live with the consequences of their choices. But no one leaves the slave trade easily, especially not people like Aldemar and Gillis. Will their hearts and minds let them live with their actions?

In John Meilink's gritty and dark world, readers experience a different side of slavery and the slave trade. The narrative style is immersive and often a little unsettling. He captured the cruelty, corruption, and desperation that fueled the seventeenth-century slave trade. He made it all seem so real, and at times, it was hard for me to read on at certain points. Aldemar and Gillis are authentic protagonists. I love how they are deeply flawed yet painfully human. It makes them real in a world built on violence and exploitation. The novel does not avoid the grim facts of the past. I loved how the author never shied away from portraying the realities of history with honesty, without drama. Black Cattle is a challenging novel, but I highly recommend it. We should know how everything happened, and that there were people with consciences trapped in the trade.