Naomi Novik has written some fantastic books over the years, and this collection of short stories includes tales linked to several of those, something that might be her next big setting, and other tales besides. Each comes with a nice ‘blurb’ telling you a bit about the whys or wherefores of a particular story, and I really loved the little glimpses into the thought processes and craft in general.

I particularly liked the final tale’s description, which really captured the author’s approach:
"Whenever I get asked how I develop some part of my books – a magic system, a fantastical species, some invented history – the answer is always that I never do it in advance. Every story and every novel starts for me with a first line that makes me want to know more myself … and I find out more about them one line at a time.“

This story, The Long Way Round, is also the longest in the book and is an exploration (we’re told) of the ‘current project’ – so sort of a sneak peak into a new world? It tells of a pair of siblings making their living in a seafaring nation, and the strange lands they find on the other side of the ‘uncrossable’ sea… loved it!

However, I think this approach of ‘stories as exploration’ also led to my one relatively minor complaint about the collection. I’d suggest that the style here is for ‘stories as set up’. They are never not interesting, and very well written, but I was sometimes frustrated that nothing comes with any kind of resolution, even while that’s clearly done on purpose. Your mileage, as they say, may vary.

For some that doesn’t matter. The second tale, for instance, is set in the Scholomance world of deadly school hallways. While a familiar face – for those who have read the full trilogy – appears, this is more of a ‘side story’ and it’s just nice to revisit for a bit. I would hope that it would serve as a taster for those who haven’t tried the series, although I’d also feel a little wary of a vague spoiler?

The next story was that ‘taster’ for me, as I’ve yet to try the Temeraire books. This seems to be something of an origin tale for how dragons first became friendly with humans, with the added plus of using a real historical figure: Antony, as in friend of Caesar, leading to a lot of Roman high jinx with added dragon.

On the flip side to the ‘good taster’, I wasn’t sure the addition of Spinning Silver was necessarily a great idea, except as a fascinating curio for the writing process. Not have read the full novel that came as a later expansion to this original short, I’m not really sure I feel I need or want to, now?

Other tales include an excellent romp of a lady pirate which mixes magic and period drama and feminism; a rewriting of the myth of the Minotaur which manages to be even more heartbreaking; a sliver of a tale about Sherlock Holme’s Irene Adler; a rather dark fantasy about a city’s most lauded sculptors being handed fame, glory – and a bit of a death sentence (!); a familiar set up of some fairies invited to grant blessings at a christening, although time things get a little out of hand!; one tale that is literally ‘Pride and Prejudice and Dragons’; and one sci-fi story amongst the fantasy, which also has a bit of a moral about interfering in other cultures.

It’s a varied and very strong mix. No story outstays it’s welcome, and nor did I feel any were frustratingly too short – with the caveat mentioned above that stylistically the choice is perhaps not neat bows at the end. It also very much avoids the short story collection pitfall of ever feeling ‘samey’, which is no mean feat when almost all of the stories are in the fantasy genre – the tones shift from sad to funny to deliciously dark, and all in all it’s extremely well curated.

All of these tales have previously been published elsewhere, but all were new to me. Of course some appealed more than others, but I enjoyed all of them. Whether you’re already a fan of Naomi Novik, or just of fantasy short stories, there is plenty here to enjoy and to spark your imagination.

This review is for Buried Deep And Other Stories by Naomi Novik which will be released in the UK on the 17th September! Thanks so much to Netgalley and Delray for giving me an eArc copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This is a collection of short stories all written by this author, most of which have already been published in other anthologies. I love Naomi Novik’s writing, so knew I would already enjoy most of these. My favourites included were; After Hours (as it was set in the aftermath of the Scholomace series, and I was so excited to see what the school looked like now), Dragons’ and Decorum (as I loved the idea of Pride and Prejudice with dragons and I’m actually hoping Novik turns this into an actual novel as it was fantastic) and The Long Way Around (super interesting story that I also hope we see more of).

However, I have found that short stories are not for me unless they are based in a universe/world that has already been shown by the author, as some of them I really didn’t enjoy as I felt they were a little flat. I think this is due to how long the stories are though, rather than the actual stories and the writing themselves. I do enjoy the longer books which go into a lot more detail.

Overall you get to see 13 different stories, some of them I feel are a little more difficult to get through than others. Some of them I enjoyed so much (as mentioned above and wish I had more room to go into a lot more detail) and would love to see more of the stories set in these worlds or to see them expanded in the future. Would highly recommend this to any fantasy readers out there, especially those that enjoy shorter stories!

Buried Deep is a collection of thirteen stories from Naomi Novik, many set in the worlds you have already come to know and love. It’s rare for me to enjoy every single story in a collection, but all these stories were a delight. I haven’t read the Temeraire series, but that didn’t affect my experience. In fact, one of my favourites was the Pride and Prejudice retelling set in the Temeraire universe.

There is a Scholomance story, which contains spoilers for the trilogy. Since all the stories come with a short introduction, it would be easy to skip that one until you have finished the other books. It did make me want to read more in the Scholomance world though.

Some settings were entirely new too. One is set in a science fiction world, where one traveler “goes native” among a people who have learned to bend their DNA to their requirements. This is loosely inspired by the writings of Lawrence of Arabia.

The last story promises a hint of what she is working on next, though she is clear that she uses these stories to work out ideas for longer works and they might not be exactly the same. For instance, one story is a different version of Spinning Silver, albeit much shorter.

Many of the stories have been published previously elsewhere, however since I rarely read individual short stories, they were all new to me. If you’re a fan of Naomi Novik, I highly recommend. Otherwise it’s a great taster of her work.

ARAMINTA is a quirky take on pirates with magic, following the narrative style of Georgian novels. But this tale follows a young woman who runs into disaster with the determination to make the best of unfortunate situations, and then manages to twist the situations to suit her.

AFTER HOURS is set after THE GOLDEN ENCLAVES (which I still haven't read so I got a few spoilers!) It was nice to return to the world of A DEADLY EDUCATION once the Scholomance is less dangerous. Not everything has changed though, there are still factions and petty teenagers making bad decisions.

VICI is set in the world of TEMERAIRE, a series my sister and I both loved and haven't read in years. This is about the origin (in the west) of dragon riding as a Roman sentenced to die finds himself the first dragon rider, and now trying to work out what to do with his life. It was rather funny and made me want to re-read the series.

BURIED DEEP is a mediative take on the story of Ariadne and the Minotaur, focusing on her and her quiet determination to be there for her brother. It explores the magic of belief and looks at the labyrinth itself, how something that has only one pathway could become disorientating.

SPINNING SILVER is the short story that seeded the book of the same name. There are some very familiar elements that are the start of the book, but the ending is very different. Here, the story wraps up fast, being a short story, ending where, in many ways, the book only just starts. It was very interesting to read and compare these versions.

COMMONPLACES is the author's take on Irene Adler, now respectably married but not entirely satisfied. She hears Sherlock Holmes is dead and investigates. I really liked seeing Adler through her own eyes, and this story's take on Holmes and why he faked his death for so long.

SEVEN was the first tale that didn't quite feel complete. I got to the ending and went "oh, that's it?" It didn't feel like it had a resolution, the character not quite reaching the point of learning something or a goal being achieved. It was a nice story and a very interesting snippet of a world.

BLESSINGS is potentially the shortest story of the lot and a fun take on faerie tales. It has some very drunk faeries at a wedding handing out blessings to a child, and it going wrong according to society, but not the girl herself.

LORD DUNSANY'S TEAPOT is a strange little tale, but that seems appropriate for a tale inspired by an object from an eccentric collection. I can't quite tell if it's set in our world, during the first world war, or another, which adds to the almost-touchable-but-not-quite quality of the tale.

SEVEN YEARS FROM HOME is a sci-fi tale about local conquest manipulated by a colonial power, playing the sides against each other, from the perspective of a colonial agent sent to the midst of things. It's an interesting look at warfare and alien life.

DRAGONS AND DECORUM is another tale from the TEMERAIRE world, this time a re-imagining of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE where Elizabeth is a dragon rider. This was so much fun, taking a well known story and fitting it into a different world, with all the conflict and romance of that tale.

CASTLE COURLIEU has strains of horror it in. Set in France during the plagues of the 14th century, it follows a young girl, married off and left in her new husband's castle with his son (her age), and keep full of dark tales. It's atmospheric and explores the dread and isolation of the plagues.

THE LONG WAY AROUND is a little glimpse at Naomi Novik's next book. It is also probably the longest tale in the collection, about a brother and sister charting a new sea route across an empty expanse and finding something odd. I am fascinated by route finding and early explorers, so this tale was really nice.

The first story, "Araminta", tells an ageold tale of a young woman who is being sent by her parents to marry against her will. She then embarks on various adventures and finds herself in the process. The writing is superb, and the pacing excellent as well. That being said - nothing really remarkable about the plot. Magic barely plays a role, if you get down to it. 3/5.

The second story, "After Hours", is set in the Schoolmance universe, telling the tale of a young Polish witch, who tries to settle in the school, dealing with some of its posh denizens. It's a great companion piece to that universe, keeping in the spirit of the books. Nothing super exciting here, but still a strong story with a relevant message, enriching the universe with a new type of magic. 4/5.

The third story, "Vici", is set in the Temeraire universe, and tells the tale of how dragons became tame in the first place, during the Roman times. It's fun, tongue in cheek, and provides a nice prequel to the rest of the author's work in the space. An excellent little story, but doesn't do much as a standalone piece. 4/5

The fourth story, "Buried Deep", is set in the Minoan times and is a grim(dark) parable about the horrors of hubris and the love siblings sometimes have for one another. The story is truly powerful and is set apart from most of the rest of the author's work. 5/5

The fifth story, "Spinning Silver", is the progenitor of the epynomous book. It really stands out in this collection and overall among the fantasy short stories I've read. Up until I got to 90% of it I felt this was a true masterpiece, and way better written than the book itself (which was a bit tedious, in my view). The last 10% were ok, and the ending was a bit rushed and too simplistic. This is where what could have been a masterpiece of grimdark storytelling became a mediocre fable in my view. Such a let down. 4/5 (5 for the first 90%, and 2 for the last 10%).

The sixth story, "Commonplaces", is a short story from the Sherlock Holmes universe, and follows Irene Adler, who appeared in one of the stories about him, and was the only person (nonvillain) who outsmarted him. It's fun and quaint, but unremarkable and missable. 3/5

The seventh story, "Seven", is the best of the collection and might be the best thing by the author I ever read. On its own it is a good enough reason to read the rest of this collection. The story is another parable, debating the role of art. It's subtly done with vivid characters, unpredictable plot twists, and a rich world. There is even character development! This one, in my view, is a masterpiece. 5/5

The eighth story, "Blessings", is a short fairy tale retold by the author, inluenced perhaps by "Cinderella", where the need for blessings by fairies ends up with more than the parents bargain for. It's well done, modern, and punchy. 4/5

The ninth story, "Lord Dunsany's Teapot", is actually devoid of any fantasy or magic, and rather talks about the difficulties of fighting in the trenches and what everyday items might mean to their holders. It's beautifully crafted, with very nuanced emotion and sensitivity. 5/5

The tenth story, "Seven Years from Home", is the other gem in this collection. It's sci fi, for once, and is a thinly veiled critique of how third party intervention in the affairs of two other parties can backfire. It's protagonist is incredibly well crafted and developes hugely over time, making her truly memorable (beyond anything else I've experienced with this author). The moral of the story is also quite profound. Not to be missed. 5/5

The eleventh story, "Dragons and Decorum", is an ode to the author's love affair with "Pride and Prejudice". It's set in the Temeraire universe and talks about the love affair between Elizabeth and Mr Darcy, reimagined with dragons and a fiery female character. It's cute and very well written (in the sense it echoes credibly the source material). Still cringeworthy in my personal humble opinion, but that's just due to the overobsession with marriage etc (source material related). It's objectively a very good story (4/5), but I personally disliked it very much (2/5).

The twelfth story, "Caste Coeurlieu", is a grimdark take on medieval fantasy (no magic here). The protagonist is a young woman waiting for her newly wed husband (much older man) to come back from battle, struggling to adjust to her new life. There is depression, running into her own invented world, etc. It's ok, but I found it a bit confusing and lacking in substance and meaning. Unripe, in some ways. 3/5

The last story, "The Long Way Round", is an introduction to a whole new universe the author seems to be working on. It's high fantasy with a strong female lead, magic, and undiscovered worlds. Adventure, fun, and tongue in cheek writing, almost reminiscent of the vivacity of Schoolmance. It's an excellent story (while perhaps not a deeply thoughtprovoking one), and I really can't wait to read the books in this universe. 5/5

Overall, a great collection, and perhaps one of the better ones I read by contemporary authors. There is huge variety here, but the author's talent comes through vividly, and three of the stories are not to be missed under any circumstances.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an early copy of this book in return for an honest review.

I have bought numerous books by Naomi so I was keen t read a set of short stories by her. Some of the stories are quite long, and some very short - I enjoyed the introduction at the start of each story telling us the inspiration for each.

My absolute favourite story was going back to the School! The trilogy is my favourite by Naomi - it’s my comfort read. I do have the first book in the Temeraire series but I have not yet read it, so reading her “dragon” story made me quite excited to pick it up. The other version of Spinning Silver was also a stand out for me.

Overall, this was an excellent set of stories, and has shown me a bit more of Naomi’s wide range.

My thanks to Netgalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

i love this author and was so excited to be given access to this collection of short stories.

i loved the variation in the types of stories and revisiting the author's previous work in this anthology. i also did enjoy the stories set outside of her novels, i think any fantasy reader will enjoy this collection.

all of them felt very fleshed out and it was easy to fall in love with so many characters.

i've thought about it a lot and i've narrowed my favourite down to After Hours after much deliberation!

i can't wait to read more from novik!

thank you so much to netgalley, the publisher and the author for the arc 🫶🏻

"**Buried Deep and Other Stories**" by Naomi Novik is a captivating collection that showcases her talent for weaving dark, fantastical worlds. The anthology features a diverse array of tales, including myth reimagining, fairy-tale retellings, and stories inspired by history. As someone new to Novik's work, I found this collection to be an impressive introduction, with several stories standing out as particularly strong, some even bordering on exceptional. Each story is thoughtfully preceded by a brief introduction, adding context and enriching the reader's experience.

Among my favourites were "After Hours," which unfolds after the events of the **Scholomance Trilogy**, as well as "Commonplaces," "Seven," and "Dragons & Decorum." Each of these stories is richly detailed and utterly absorbing, leaving me wishing they would never end. Kudos to Novik for crafting such immersive and compelling narratives.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone for a free digital copy in exchange for an honest review!

This is a great book for Novik fans who can dip in and out of the short stories. She writes well and her stories are varied enough not to let you low interest. Recommended for those who have enjoyed the Scholomance trilogy and similar books

I love this author and her Scholomance series and loved the continuation of the world from this book. I definitely found some of the stories a lot better than others but it's natural to have favourites, right? Her world building is really fun to immerse yourself in and this book helps to flesh out the setting of the characters from her trilogy. Buried Deep has made me excited to read her other series - the Temeraire series!

To no one’s fault but my own, I did not in fact realise it was essential (more or less) to have read Naomi’s previous books to properly get involved in these short stories. I’ve been meaning to pick up her books so when I saw a collection of short stories of her son Netgally I thought what a better way to get a feel for her writing than an anthology. Well, I can certainly say that the writing is brilliant but it does not feel fair to give an in depth review when I obviously did not understand the depth of the worlds and stories due to my lack of background reading. I hope I’ll come back to this once I’ve actually read the rest of her books, for now, I can only rate this books writing style without being unfair, which is definitely a 5/5!

Whether you're a long time fan, discovered her more recently or have never read her before Naomi Novik's new anthology, Buried Deep, contains something for everyone.

Within its pages you'll find short stories encompassing various genres and series. There's the fantastic dragons of Temeraire, the short story that grew into the novel Spinning Silver and other shorts that could share the same fairy tale universe.

But the big draw for me, and I suspect many others, are the two stories that are new to this collection: After Hours, which returns us to the world of the Scholomance trilogy for a story of a mushroom witch, her roommate and other new students; and The Long Way Round, the first glimpse of Novik's new series Folly which concerns the discovery of a new and abandoned continent on the world of Abandon.

It's going to be interesting seeing how the latter relates to the actual series. Novik by her own admission only knows one way to develop a series of this scale and that's to play around in it, telling herself little stories that may or may not develop into the world, its people and history.

Like many anthologies there are a couple of stories that, for one reason ot another, don't quite work, but these are outnumbered by those that do.

Thanks to NetGalley, Del Rey and the author for an advance copy.

This fabulous collection of short stories is one of the best I've read. Novik has the gift of drawing a reader into a story and making them care about the characters very fast, which is essential for writing successful short stories. This collection has something for everyone, from Novik fans familiar with her other books, to those who are new to her as an author. There's a story set in the world of the 'Scholomance' series, and two from the world of 'Temeraire' (including a Pride and Prejudice with dragons!). There is an early version of her novel 'Spinning Silver', in short story form and with some significant differences, which is an interesting read. Plus numerous stories that aren't related to her novels, and some that aren't even fantasies, like a Sherlock Holmes story, ;Buried Deep' is a retelling of the Minotaur Greek myth, plus there's a science fiction offering that reminded me somewhat of Ann Leckie's 'Imperial Radch' novels, and a daft pirate romp as an opener. The main thing they have in common is that they are all really good.

It's hard for me to pick a favourite - I did love the Scholomance story, and Elizabeth Bennett as captain of a dragon in the Napoleonic Wars is worth buying the anthology for alone. The final story sounds like it will eventually become a new novel or a 'world' where she sets more than one book. I liked the characters, so it will be interesting to see what she does with them and how she adapts it into a bigger narrative. Having the early version of 'Spinning Silver' in this collection gives a fascinating insight into the writing process and how ideas can develop and change, because whilst it's clearly the same basic idea for a story, some of the differences are really fundamental.

I'd highly recommend this collection to anyone who enjoys fantasy, or short stories in general if they don't mind some of them being fantasy/science fiction. It's really one of the best sets I've read, and I don't usually like short stories, preferring novels. It's not essential to have read Novik's other books, although you might appreciate the stories set in the worlds of Scholomance and Termeraire more if you have. That's only three of them though. If you have read and liked any of Novik's books, then this should definitely go onto your reading list!

Her brother, her little brother, had pulled his hand out of hers and gone down into the dark to save her life, and she hadn't run down the hill shouting, begging a shepherd, a priest, a rich man for help.
So it was her lie, too. She was in the lie, and the lie was in her, and the lie couldn't go any further into the dark. ['Buried Deep': loc. 1444]
Like many collections of short stories, this selection of Novik's shorter work is interesting because of the author's introductions to each story, as well as for the stories themselves. There's a cautionary note in the Introduction, though: "only the stories themselves can tell you what I was thinking".

The stories range widely, from an after-dark adventure at an alternate Scholomance to a Pride and Prejudice-flavoured novella set in the world of Temeraire: there's a story about medieval Europe that's inspired by Barbara Tuchman's A Distant Mirror, and the original novella which grew into Spinning Silver. 'Seven Years from Home', the most science-fictional of the tales, reminded me of Le Guin, while the title story is a dark meditation on the myth of Ariadne and the minotaur. I greatly enjoyed the piratical 'Araminta, or, the Wreck of the Amphidrake', with its Amulet of Tiresias: and 'The Long Way Round', which is set in the world of the novel she's working on now, piqued my interest.

While the mood and style varies from story to story. There are often queer characters, often women who are coping with difficult or lonely situations (very few of these stories are romances in the conventional sense), and often a sense of revolution or change. While I've read some of the stories before, it was very interesting to immerse myself in this book and appreciate the breadth of Novik's interests and of her style. Definitely worth reading, and rereading.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the advance review copy, in exchange for this full honest review. UK Publication Date is 17 SEP 2024.

Buried Deep by Naomi Novik is an entrancing series of short stories that explore old worlds including Temeraire and Scholomance to new worlds that Novik is currently exploring. I love the idea of Novik kitted out in explorer gear as she steps into newly undiscovered fantasy worlds.

I’m a bit mixed when it comes to anthologies and short story collections, often finding they can be a mixed delight of beautiful gems and fools gold, however, in thus case I was enthralled and truly captivated by the breadth of work, with favourites including Temeraire meets Pride and Prejudice, the Scholomance tale and the concluding tale that lifted the curtain slightly on Novik’s upcoming work.

I was intrigued by the distinction between the stories, each with its own voice, some loquacious, other fleeting in telling but, thought provoking and all intriguing. Overall a fine collection that I will ve happy to include on my shelves and read again.

Thank you Random House U.K. Cornerstone and NetGalley for the arc in exchange for my honest and sincere review.

I recently finished reading "Buried Deep," an enthralling assortment of short stories by Naomi Novik, which are set in the same captivating worlds as her full novels.

I just completed a collection of short stories that I found truly intriguing. This book includes a variety of tales that would captivate any fan of Naomi Novik's work. I particularly enjoyed the Temeraire meets Pride and Prejudice short story, as it offered a fresh perspective on Elizabeth Bennett.

On the whole, every story was captivating. However, I did find that a couple of them seemed to end abruptly, lacking proper resolution. It would have been more satisfying if these stories were expanded upon to provide a more conclusive ending. For instance, the Tower of Couerlieu and the claymaker stories both held my interest but had somewhat weak endings. Nonetheless, I still believe that the book is well worth reading.

The final story was the standout for me. It provided a captivating glimpse into the world of Novik's forthcoming novel, featuring ships, a prodigy, a sorcerer, and an abandoned world. I am eagerly anticipating its release and looking forward to delving even deeper into that fascinating universe.

#NaomiNovik #ShortStories #LiteraryWorlds #FantasyFiction #BookLovers #CaptivatingTales #NovelTeaser #ImmersiveReading #EnchantingUniverse #MustRead

Overall a really great collection of short stories! It was exciting to have new short stories set in the Scholomance and Spinning Silver worlds, but I also really enjoyed many of the other pieces that were brand new to me, particularly Seven which was my favourite.

Definitely worth reading if you are a fan of Naomi Novik, I enjoyed most of them but some were significantly better than others.
This is a good way to experience some of her other worlds, I’ve previously loved the Scholomance books and am now really excited to delve into the Temeraire novels.
An absolutely fantastic author.

Buried Deep is a collection of thirteen incredibly wide-ranging stories with such a mix of settings. From futuristic alien civilisations, to stories set in Naomi Novik's beloved Scholomance and Temeraire worlds, to twists on well known characters like Sherlock Holmes, this collection jumps all over the place. All of them were beautifully written with great world building crammed into few words. Some of them I loved, others hooked me in less, but always there was another story in just a few pages to dive into. Favourites for me included returning to the Scholomance in After Hours, the wildly unusual Seven Years From Home set on an alien planet, and the Pride and Prejudice retelling (with dragons!) Dragons and Decorum.

For quite a few of these stories the introduction stated that they were previously in other anthologies, but all but one were new to me. It may be worth checking the list of short stories though if you're a prolific anthology reader.

I've been A Naomi Novik fan since the early days of the Temeraire series and I have loved everything she has written since then so series of short stories based or her work as well as some new ones was a great deal of fun and I loved every single story.