The Bird of a Thousand Stories

Discover a world of extraordinary beasts and unexpected heroes in the spectacular sequel from Kiyash Monsef.

In this transporting and suspenseful sequel to the New York Times bestselling Once There Was, Marjan travels around the globe in search of a mythical bird in terrible danger, whose fate could determine the future of the world.​

Marjan Dastani is successfully leading a double life—for now. Only a few people close to her know that when she’s not in school, she travels the world taking care of mythical beasts, and she is sent on missions by a shadowy organization known as the Fells. She’s on one of these​ jobs in Istanbul when she gets the chance to connect with her long-lost distant uncle, the only living relative she has who once did “the work,” like her father and now her. When she meets him, though, they’re interrupted by a threatening man who’ll stop at nothing to trap and kill​ the creatures it’s her duty to care for. In an adventure that takes her across continents and connects her with the wildest of mythic​ beasts around the globe, Marjan must interpret the messages the animals are trying to send her and track down the fabled Bird of a Thousand Stories before someone with more nefarious plans finds it. But the more closely she connects with the creatures, the more danger she’s in of losing her friendships—and all that tethers her to the life she’s known.​

© 2025 Simon & Schuster Audio UK (Audiobook): 9781398520585

Release date

Audiobook: February 4, 2025