The Blood of Belshazzar

by Robert E. Howard Book 2 in the Cormac FitzGeoffrey Adventures series.

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2.8(24)

The Blood of Belshazzar follows Cormac FitzGeoffrey into a dangerous mountain stronghold in Anatolia during the broader Crusading era. Howard combines treasure, ambush and claustrophobic fortress intrigue with the atmosphere of a fractured medieval east where isolated strongholds, mercenary fighters and old loyalties remain volatile.

More self-contained and treasure-driven than some of the Cormac stories, it nevertheless depends on the mobility, violence and political fragmentation of the Crusader world.

The Anatolian setting reflects the political fragmentation created by crusader principalities, Armenian strongholds, Muslim rulers and itinerant fighting men. A fortress can command local routes without belonging securely to any larger state, making personal loyalty and control of treasure unusually important. Cormac’s violence fits a world where authority is local, shifting and often enforced by whoever can hold the gate.