Vagrants Hollow - The Southern Swallow Book V — Edward C. Patterson

“Being a ghost is a difficult thing, let me tell you, as I've tried it several times during my existence. Like most members of a ch'i-t'ang, I come and go as the call summons -- sometimes in the dead of night; sometimes when I'm squatting to rid myself of a good meal. But still I'm hampered by this thing we call life and, in my case, not a noble life, but a servant's existence, my master being indentured to a mystical jade bird and its warrant to end everyone's existence at a future time.” Thus begins Vagrants Hollow, the last installment of the Southern Swallow series, the biography of Li K'ai-men (Nan Ya). When we revisit him now, he is in residence at the Sung Capital, Lin-an, and restless to complete his warrants, but tied to court intrigue and responsibilities. He's a very old man now, as are the members of the ch'i-t'ang. At 88, the world has changed, but Nan Ya's purpose has not. Weary, he will take a final excursion in his adventurous life into a mythical land -- The Realm of the Mountains and Seas. This last installment is the most magical and fantastical of the series. Book V of the Southern Swallow �" Vagrants Hollow, like its predecessors (The Academician, The Nan Tu, Swan Cloud and The House of Green Waters) is told by K'u Ko-ling, servant to the Grand Tutor, Li K'ai-men. It tells a tale of palace intrigues and a nemesis dark wizard, who tries to prevent Nan Ya from his quest to fulfill the Jade Owl's warrant. It will take you through strange rituals, through the Ghostlands and into a Chinese alternative universe, a land of mythical beasts. It's a tale of family ties, love requited and the strength of loyalty which form when men, beasts and relics bond. The Southern Swallow Series: The Academician The Nan Tu Swan Cloud The House of Green Waters Vagrants Hollow