The House of the Stag(2008)

Kage Baker

It begins with a tragedy. Before the Riders came to their remote valley, the Yendri led a tranquil pastoral life. When the Riders conquered and enslaved them, only a few escaped to the forests. Only one of them possessed the necessary rage to fight back: Gard the foundling, half-demon, who began a one-man guerrilla war against the Riders. But his struggle ended in the loss of the family he loved and condemnation from his own people.

Exiled, he was taken as a slave by powerful mages ruling an underground kingdom. Wiser and more bitter, he found more subtle ways to earn his freedom. This is the story of his rise to power, his vengeance, his unlikely redemption and marriage, and his maturation into a loving father—as well as a lord and commander of demon armies.