Philadelphia Tribune - Bobbi Booker
"Bryant masterfully narrates the incredible machinations revolving around the eventual case, which would drag on for seven years, and take a considerable toll on the captives awaiting a decision…. Epic in scope, providing rich portraits of life at sea and trade in the Atlantic world, slavery and its hazards in the malaria-ridden South, and the tension between the ethical and financial interests of a slew of chummy Southern gentlemen adjudicating the case, Dark Places of the Earth is an invaluable contribution to the understanding of antebellum America."
Brian McGinty
"Jonathan Bryant sheds new and revealing light on a dark chapter in the history of American slavery, and on a Supreme Court decision that, despite its faults, deserves to be better known."
Washington Independent Review of Books - Adam Rothman
"An eye-opening account of a little-known (yet horrifying) episode in American history…. In Dark Places of the Earth, Bryant has salvaged the history of an era when black lives mattered to slavers only as profit and the dead were thrown to the sharks."
Booklist, Starred review - Jay Freeman
"Detailed and fascinating account…. This is a superb examination of an obscure but important episode in the struggle against slavery."
Wall Street Journal - David Reynolds David Reynolds
"Illuminating…. Fascinating…."
Marcus Rediker
"From its poetic title to its concluding sentence, Dark Places of the Earth spins a riveting yarn, using the vexed voyage of the slave ship Antelope to illuminate a profound moment in American history. Vividly drawn characters and courtroom drama make this narrative history of a high order."
Shelf Awareness - Tom Lavoie
"[Bryant] meticulously unwinds the years-long, complex legal history that finally led to the case being heard by the six justices of John Marshall's Supreme Court, four of whom were slave owners…. From the West African shores to Georgia, Washington, D.C., and, finally Liberia, Bryant's riveting history of this case and these slaves is a remarkable one."
Douglas R. Egerton
"In this fascinating and engagingly written study, Jonathan M. Bryant illuminates a largely forgotten—but highly significant—episode in American legal history. Based on prodigious and meticulous research, Dark Places of the Earth will appeal to general readers and scholars alike. An important, original book."
Boston Globe - David M. Shribman
"In Bryant’s gripping telling, the moral contradictions of the time are laid bare…. Carefully researched, beautifully crafted, Dark Places—the title comes, ominously but evocatively, from Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness—is one of the very few books that delivers on the promiscuous promise to employ an obscure episode to offer new insights on a well-trod byway of history."
Wall Street Journal - David Reynolds
"Illuminating…. Fascinating…."
SEPTEMBER 2015 - AudioFile
This audiobook offers an enlightening and thorough discussion of the slave trade and the U.S. court system during the early 1800s. Tom Zingarelli’s solid narration carries listeners through arcane discussions of maritime law and Supreme Court proceedings. During the more exciting passages involving action on the high seas, including piracy, his voice carries a tone of excitement, and his pace quickens ever so slightly. The extent of the legal detail, however, may lead some listeners to abandon the book after the story leaves the ocean and works its way through the courts. R.C.G. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine
