Lama Ozer and his novitiate Tashi leave the hidden monastery where they have lived all their lives in answer to a call from the legendary kingdom of Shambala received by the lama while deep in trance.

Battling the freezing cold and snow of high, mist-laden mountain passes and the many evil forces that thwart their progress, they trek through Sikkim and Tibet to arrive at the Silver Fortress. Here they meet a host of divine and dark celestial beings, including the golden dakini, Yeshe Nam Lha, daughter of the Goddess Tara; Prince A-KarO, heir to he Lha Empire; Prince Narasimha, heir to the Rigdens and Shambala legacy. Both the princes are Yeshe's guardians and suitors and she must travel with them to Earth where it is decreed that her child, Maitreya, the saviour, will be born. but before that happens they have to combat the Asur forces, and the dark prince Arden, who holds Yeshe captive, entrralled by his brooding menace, bewithched by his spell.

Drawing richly from the vast pantheon of otherworldly beings that populate the myths of the Mahayana school of Buddhism, Path of the Swan, the first part of the surreally beautiful Tibetan-Buddhist fantasy series The Maitreya Chronicles, is a mesmerizing saga of the battle between celestials and dark forces, and the descent of the celestials to Earth.

This is the debut book by Charu Singh. It has reached the 5th spot in the Indian bestsellers list.

Path of the Swan : The Maitreya Chronicle : Part 1, Charu Singh, Hachette India, 445 pp, $18.00

Charu Singh grew up in Chandigarh and spent her vacations at Kathgarh, in her grandparents' fort in the Shivalik Hills. After completing her post-graduation from Panjab University she moved to the North East with her husband and worked there as a freelance researcher for UNICEF, before turning to Journalism. She has since worked for the Asian Age, Frontline, and Tribune besides contributing articles to many leading news-magazines and papers. Charu is also a classical dancer trained in Odissi and Kathak and is deeply interested in the spiritual, having explored Buddhism and Hinduism as well as other religions. After having lived for a substantial time in the North East - including Sikkin, Assam and Manipur - she came to New Delhi, where she now lives with her husband and son.