Cup of Blood . . . Bread of Salvation (Paperback or Softback)

An epic novel of the Crusades, the siege of Antioch, and a man and woman swept up in the bloody quest to reach Jerusalem.

In 1097, Pope Urban’s Army of God confronts the great city of Antioch, the final obstacle before reclaiming Jerusalem from the hammer of Islam. But Antioch is defended by the wily Turcoman, Emir Yaghi Siyan, and is coveted by the atabeg of Mosul, Kerbogha.

After overcoming a tortuous trail of impossibility, separation, and heartbreak, Bishop Tristan de Saint-Germain and Mala the Romani finally stand at the precipice of a new life together. However, Antioch snares them both, forcing Tristan to decide between honoring his “father” in this life, Pope Urban II, or abandoning Catholicism forever in favor of exile with Mala in the Middle East.

Appearing unexpectedly in the midst of this crucible, honorable Lord Abdul Azim and murderous Mahmoud Malik create further complexities, bringing together in one final episode all the primary characters of the Dark Ages Saga of Tristan de Saint-Germain, including Peter the Hermit, treacherous Desmond DuLac, Tafur the Beggar King, and Bishop Adhémar of Le Puy. Will the forces of God prevail or those of Allah?

Robert E. Hirsch was born in Pusan, Korea, in 1949. In 1953, Hirsch’s mother sent him to the United States to live with his biological father due to Korea’s harsh wartime conditions. He spent the next thirteen years as a military dependent, traveling all over America and passing three years in France, where he attended school at a French lycée.

Hirsch graduated from Cameron University in Lawton, Oklahoma, and began teaching French and social studies. He retired in 2012 after forty years, having served during his career as a teacher, principal, and superintendent. Hirsch has lived with his wife, Melissa, in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, along the Gulf Coast, since 1980.