The Empire of Necessity

A shipboard slave revolt in 1804 and the lives of its principal instigators are the springboard for this unique examination of slavery. Luis Moreno's voice fits the storyline: expansive and emotive as needed, flowing with the Spanish words and phrases, straightforward and descriptive as he unwinds the unique circumstances of the revolt and its aftermath. However, his pacing suffers throughout as he pauses all too often, sounding halting and unpracticed. This extensive examination of slavery, which includes the Spanish colonies and both the transatlantic and transpacific trade, demonstrates the degree to which the age of freedom in the New World and the development of an international economy were inexorably linked to slavery. M.L.R. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine