Newly released! Cup of Blood… Bread of Salvation, the fifth and final volume in the The Dark Ages Saga of Tristan de Saint-Germain Saga.

In 1097, Pope Urban’s Army of God confronts the great Oriental city of Antioch, its 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 rooted during childhood of impossibility, separation, and heartbreak, Bishop Tristan de Saint-Germain and Mala the Romani finally stand at the precipice of a new life together. But 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. Showing up unexpectedly in the midst of this crucible, honorable Lord Abdul Azim and murderous Mahmoud Malik create further complexities… thus 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 Peasant Butcher, and Bishop Adhémar of Le Puy.

Shall the forces of God prevail, or those of Allah?

Robert E. Hirsch retired in 2012 as the Superintendent of the Ocean Springs School District along the Mississippi Gulf Coast where he now resides with his wife, Melissa Hirsch. After forty years in education (both public and private), he chose to realize his college dream: writing historical fiction erupting with action and intrigue while also unearthing readers’ deepest emotions and personal angst as concerns the human heart.

Having experienced his own adversities concerning racial stigmas, nationality, and Catholic doctrine, Hirsch writes with distinct accuracy of the walled façade individuals construct to insulate themselves against others and the terrors of life no less formidable than those constructed by powerful and established institutions. According to Hirsch, “We are all caught, at times, in raging currents that strip us of our ability to fight or overcome circumstance. Does one then surrender, or take on a battle beyond all odds… leaving hope as the sole and final ally?”

Hirsch’s first novel was Contrition (JournalStone, 2012), but has since authored the five-book series: The Dark Ages Saga of Tristan de Saint-Germain, which includes: Promise of the Black Monks (e-book, print, audio), Hammer of God, A Horde of Fools, God’s Scarlet Fury, and Cup of Blood…Bread of Salvation, all published by Argus Publishing and represented by Loiacono Literary Agency.