As with all books of short stories you will have your favourites and ones your not so keen on. Having read most of Naomi Noviks books my favourites were the ones that linked to her previous work. I loved the scholomance story and could happily read a whole book of schlomamce shorts.

I enjoyed this book , not as much as some of her others but it was still a good read.

I came into this as a fan of Naomi Novik but not a huge lover of short story collections, as I usually only end up enjoying one or two in a collection. Thankfully, I enjoyed the majority of the stories in this collection, with only a few of the shorter stories feeling a bit filler-y (but maybe that's my preference for longer stories coming through).

The collection includes everything you would expect from Novik: great writing, dragons, mythology, interesting heroines and tales of adventure and seeking your destiny.

There are two Temeraire-related stories: one set in Roman times and another that is a retelling of Pride & Prejudice with Lizzie Bennet as a Captain in the Aerial Corps (one of my favourites from the collection). There's also a new post-Golden Enclaves Scholomance story that left me wanting more and the original short story version of Spinning Silver.

I think the rest aren't connected to her other works. Of these, my favourites were: Seven about a city with master sculptors and deadly clay, Seven Years From Home - a scifi with an avatar-y (the blue alien kind) environmental edge, and Buried Deep - a retelling of Ariadne and the Minotaur.

A really great short story collection that works for fans of Naomi Novik and also as an introduction to her writing

So this is only the second time I've ever read a short story anthology, I don't tend to gravitate towards them (no idea why), but it's Naomi Novik, so there was no chance I was passing on this, especially when we get an insight into the world of her next series. It's the perfect blend of stories for fans of her previous series, as well as readers just looking for some fantastical short stories, and I enjoyed seeing Novik's take on some well known stories, as much as reading the ones that simply popped out of her imagination.

Lovers of her previous work will enjoy the dip we get into the Scholomance with, After Hours, set after the ending of the series which did spoil it for me, but it's my own fault for not getting around to reading it sooner. She also gives us a shorter, more clipped version of Spinning Silver, which I think I may have preferred to the original. And she dives into the world of Temeraire with, Vici, showing Antonius of Rome as the first Dragon Rider. But I think my favourite's of all the stories was Dragons & Decorum, a re-telling of Pride and Prejudice where Elizabeth Bennet is a dragon rider and Mr Darcy is still an absolute simp for her. P&P is an all time favourite of mine and I loved the fantasy spin Novik put on it, while still keeping true to the time and the characters. Also, Seven which is incredibly hard to describe but it was filled to the brim with world building and and gave me an almost unsettled feeling whilst reading (in the best way obviously)

The stories range in length, some reading more like novellas than short stories, but it features stories for those who love a character driven plot, as well as ones that feature a little more action, stories filled with humour and others with a slightly more horrific spin, and Novik manages to set the tone of each masterfully with her writing style which changes effortlessly to fit the tone of the story.

Did I love all of the stories, no. I imagine most anthologies come with a tale or two some readers don't gel with. There were some I desperately wanted to be longer like, Blessings, which is about a family of middling standing who invite fairies to their daughters party and chaos ensues, and others like the anthologies namesake Buried Deep that I struggled my way through. But right at the end she graces us with a look into her next series with, The Long Way Round, which instantly caught my attention & was filled with some truly epic worldbuilding, characters I instantly bonded with and a story shrouded in an eerie kind of mystery that I am desperate to read more about.

All in all I did enjoy this one, especially the little nods to the authors previous series. I'm still not convinced anthologies are for me, but I'm really glad I gave this one a read and can't wait for Novik to grace us with her next fantasy novel.

This is without a doubt a collection of short stories that has something for everyone. Yes most have been previously available in other anthologies but here the author also gifts us with a new glimpse into her Scholomance world were things that go bump in the night are anything but imaginary and also quite a good introduction into a new fantasy world that her muse has conjured up. I do think fans of her fairytale type stories will be pleased by content here and if it’s Dragons you crave then prepare to smile not at one story but two ! I particularly enjoyed the quick to the point introductions the author gives as it opens the readers eyes to some of the thoughts and process behind her writing. With brief salutes to literary heroes this was magical and definitely something I will recommend particularly if you enjoy your heroes with a feminine twist !
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair

This was quite an eclectic collection of short stories (a mixture of science fiction and fantasy). I really enjoyed the fantasy based ones and found many with strong female characters - which is wonderful to see!

Having loved Spinning Silver and Uprooted, I was keen to read more of Novik's works and found this anthology delightful! It's a fantastic timeline of the author's journey in writing - showing the highs and lows through her short stories, As with every anthology, the stories are hit and missy but in this case, the majority of them are well-rounded and well-written.

Highly recommended to fans of Novik.

You cannot ignore the range of Novik and she still remains an author I will always read from!

The main negative of this short sorry collection is that I think you would have to be familiar with all of Novik’s other works to have a full understanding and enjoy most of the stories. This seems to be a splattering of short fiction Novik wrote in tandem with her main works but couldn’t fit in.

As a short story collection, I believe it should be accessible to anyone who wants to dip their toes into an author’s work whereas this is not the case for this.

There’s some standalone stories, but there’s also some from the Schoolmance universe set after the Calling.
One from Temeraire where Antonius of Rome becomes the first dragon rider.
My personal favourite which is a Pride and Prejudice retelling set in the world of Temeraire with a gothic literature-loving dragon.

One which is verbatim a shorter story version of her novel Spinning Silver which Novik admits to in the introduction. However, I do think I enjoyed this shorter version! Despite foregoing the atmospheric descriptions, the writing was crisper and more engaging.

Here it was the dark of being a thing in the wrong place, soft and vulnerable and fallen between the turning wheels of a machine, like one of the poor little hedgehogs that tried to cross the road and were flattened by cars into useless pulp.

Novik ventures into science fiction which I thought was fascinating and would love to see her attempt a full length novel!

Children of virtually any society are an excellent resource for the diplomatic servant or the anthropologist, if contact with them can be made without giving offense. They enjoy the unfamiliar experience of answering real questions, particularly the stupidly obvious ones that allow them to feel a sense of superiority over the inquiring adult, and they are easily impressed with the unusual.

It is undeniable Novik is a master of words and delving into different niches. I thought this would make her short story collection outstanding. Sadly, for the aforementioned reasons, it did not.

Thank you to Cornerstone for providing an arc in exchange for a review!

I enjoyed reading Naomi Novik's 'Deadly Education' trilogy so I was intrigued to start reading this collection of short stories and I am a little sad to say I was a bit disappointed.

Each story is preceded by a little about where the idea came from and this was useful as for some of the stories I was just flat out confused.

High points of the collection of 13 stories were:

After Hours - I loved the scholomance so this was like going back for a little visit,

Spinning Silver - I loved the fairy tale like quality of this, it felt like I was reading something by the Brothers Grimm.

Buried Deep - This was a mythology inspired telling of Ariadne and the minotaur and, as a fan of Greek myths I enjoyed this one.

The flip side of this was the ones I could have really lived without:

Lord Dunsany's Teapot - I restarted reading this multiple times because I was so confused, in the end I just read it and hoped it would make sense as I kept going.....it didn't.

Seven Years From Home - this made such a little impression on me that I don't even remember what it was about.

Dragons and Decorum - a retelling of Pride and Prejudice where Elizabeth Bennett is a Dragon Corp commander...just no.

The rest of the stories were ok but just didn't blow my hair back so I couldn't score this any higher than a three.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

An excellent selection of short stories showcasing the breadth and scope of the genres Naomi Novik does best. A taste of her previous adventures and where she could be heading in the future.

I've enjoyed everything I've read by Naomi Novik so far, but not tried Temeraire or Scholomance yet. Here are my thoughts and scores out of 5.

Araminta, or, the Wreck of the Amphidrake - 4
Jaunty pirates with a cheeky sex change. What's not to love! I feel like NN rewards the well-read reader here.

After Hours - 5
Oh wow, is all of Scholomance like this? So exciting and suspenseful and cool. I bet the actual series is going to disappoint me now. But this was super good.

Vici - 3
Dragons are pretty cool and it was quite funny but I don't think it's quite the thing for me.

Buried Deep - 3
I love me some Greek mythology but this felt a little drawn out and pointless to be honest.

Spinning Silver - 4
I can't really remember the full length book that well, other than that I feel like I mostly enjoyed it and it was cold a lot. This felt the same, in the good way.

Commonplaces - 2
Weird characterisation of Sherlock I think. I don't know enough about Irene Adler to really judge though.

Seven - 3
Odd title. Has NN been watching Pottery Throwdown? It was fine, readable but nothing special.

Blessings - 3
Quite entertaining and clever.

Lord Dunsany's Teapot - 2
I just didn't really care. Sorry.

Seven Years From Home - 3
Felt somehow very Ann Leckie-esque. I had to start this twice til I got the feel of the language. But it was a very interesting world and I would have enjoyed a full length book set here.

Dragons & Decorum - 1
Bleh bleh I don't like Pride and Prejudice and I didn't like this. Even with the dragon addition. Zzzzz.

Castle Coeurlieu - 4
Mysterious and dangerous and mystical. Confusing, but in the good way.

The Long Way Around - 4
This is apparently what NN is working on for her next book and I have high hopes since the heroine is very likeable and there's a cute gay romance and beasts from the deeeeep. It felt a bit like Piranesi (which I adore) with the exploring a seemingly neverending world full of weird stuff elements. So hopefully this will get even better.

A good collection, would be even better without shitty regency era romantic crap and wistful war waffling.

A thrilling anthology of short stories spanning each of the authors existing realms and including a sneak peak into the world of her next series. This stunning collection will walk you through fairy tales to fantasy, myth to history and mystery to science fiction.

These stories may be vastly different but at their heart there is a unifying theme: wrestling with destiny, and the lengths some will go to find their own and fulfill its promise. Each story is unique, magical and written in the author’s signature prose.

Each of these stories are compiled of strong world-building, fascinating magic systems and intricate characters as their foundation.

𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐑𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐦 𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐝𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐩𝐲 𝐯𝐢𝐚 𝐍𝐞𝐭𝐆𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐁𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐃𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐎𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐛𝐲 𝐍𝐚𝐨𝐦𝐢 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐤

I pre-ordered this book literally the moment it appeared on my radar. But then what should happen, but that Del Rey reached out through NetGalley and offered me the e-ARC! So I really was a very good girl this year, and Santa sent my gift early.

Naomi Novik is my favourite author. For years - literally twenty years - that crown belonged to Lois McMaster Bujold and at first I refused to admit that the coup had happened, but I had to admit it to myself after reading A Deadly Education in about four hours straight (then staying up until midnight writing a review that basically consisted of 3000 words of me squawking and flailing about every single thing in the novel). Ms Novik's work has an almost magical effect on me. The quality of her prose, the intuitive intricacy of her worldbuilding, the way that she conveys a character's inner life, her style of plotting - something about each of these individual things and the way that she weaves them together into a cohesive narrative just totally and completely does it for me. I *cannot put her books down*. I fall head first into Naomi Novik's worlds and never want to leave.

It's not that she can do no wrong. This year I tried to read the Temeraire series again and got stuck at exactly the same point I did when the series first came out (the lovingly researched grimness of war just made it impossible for me to pick the next book up). But other than that series, all of her works have been ten out of ten for me - the rare books that are so good on first read that they de-activate my objective editor's eye, and which get better with each re-read so that even once the editor's eye blinks back on, I cannot imagine changing a single word.

What I'm trying to say is that Buried Deep had me at hello. And I can truthfully say that not a single one of the stories in this collection made me feel let down. Some of them were very much in the style that I've come to expect from the writer - lyrical, poetic, drawing strongly on folklore. Others did unexpected and experimental things that took me off guard - funny, irreverent, deeply sad, even a little scary. But I adored the reading experience regardless. There are some absolute standouts here, things I would pay novel-price for by themselves. That all of these are bundled together feels decadent.

The standouts for me are the utterly brilliant title story, 'Buried Deep' (as good as Madeline Miller's Circe and I don't say that lightly, please, please, make this into a novel, Naomi Novik!), Dragons & Decorum (an AU retelling of Pride & Prejudice within which Lizzy Bennet is Captain of the dragon Wollstonecraft, and Darcy is predictably very much into that) and the closing story The Long Way Around (a kind of world-building experiment in which a master navigator and her ship-building brother end up embarking on a reckless sea exploration with a wizard who is dangerous to them in more ways than one). But as I glance down the list of stories, I cannot pick out a single dud. They were all exceptionally absorbing, surprising, entertaining. I just bloody loved this collection.

I'm so glad I'll have a hardcover copy of this when the book is released. I can already tell it's going to be the comfort read I pick up again and again when I'm feeling unwell or worn out or am having a bad mental health day. 10/10, no notes, chef's kiss, as per usual. And I really hope we'll be getting a new novel next year, because next year I'm supposed to be submitting my thesis and undergoing my viva voce and, honestly... I need a reason to live. Pretty please, writing gods!

It is always a joy to sink into the intensively-realised realms of Naomi Novik, and this collection of stories from her various worlds is no exception. The standout fans will be most excited about is probably "After Hours," which returns us to the Scholomance and gives us a glimpse into life there after the conclusion of Novik's excellent trilogy. But the other stories are for the most part equally thrilling, and Novik's short notes at the start of each grant us valuable insights into her though process. Even "Spinning Silver," which is an early short version of the novel of the same name, was a hugely enjoyable fantasy space to revisit. If anything, too many of the pieces in this collection end too abruptly, and leave the reader hoping that, like with "Spinning Silver," Novik will find herself inclined to return to some of these other stories again, too, and spin a longer yarn.

If you're a fan of Naomi Novik's work, this is a must-read.
You'll find the prototype of Spinning Silver, two Temeraire-themed works and a fantastic follow-up to the Scholomance books.
Everything is carefully crafted and expands on the worlds we're already wrapped up in. The collection finishes with a story that gives us some insight into a forthcoming story too.
The tales I enjoyed the most, though, were the long stories written for collections alongside different authors which are set in totally different landscapes. One talks about the legend of the Minotaur and I cannot get it out of my head.

Naomi Novik has an incredible range across the fantasy/folktale/magic school/myth genres and this collection of short stories is a taster for those new to her work and little pile of gifts for fans. Hugely enjoyable, from LeGuin/Tepper quality sci fi to rifs on Jane Austen with dragons. Novik brings huge depth to almost everything she works on and I found myself wishing that several of the stories were novels (please!). Highly recommend.

4.5 rounded up. Overall a really strong collection of short stories. I'm reminded again of how much I love Novik's writing because these stories span a whole range of lengths, genres, characters, etc but each pulled me in, in their own way.

The below on individual stories are just my notes typed up as I went along:

Araminta - LOVED THIS, it felt very in the style of regency writing, the matter of fact tone of those sensible heroines, moments of both subtle and unsubtle wit. The moment where she plays cards to fuck the pirate captain made me laugh out loud

Scholomance - a fun little story that enriches the world! Not sure how much sense it would make without prior Scholomance knowledge but I enjoyed it

Vici - I loved the lassaiz-faire, irreverent tone of this! Vici is adorable and I hope Antony treats her well forever

Buried Deep - oh this is everything I love about Novik's writing in a completely different way to the story before. Perfect fairytale vibes - slightly hazy, slightly horror, slightly mysterious, slightly sad. It sure made me feel some kind of way.

Spinning Silver - I read the novel ages ago so while I remembered the rough story, this felt completely fresh. It works so well as a short story!

Commonplace - not my favourite of the stories, likely because I would imagine a very different Irene Adler story myself

Seven - slightly eerie but Kath's practicality was also delightful at the same time. I kept hoping for it to continue - I think this was a concept that could have filled a whole novel

Blessings - so short! but the first half especially was so well done, again I feel like this could have been the beginning of a much longer story

Lord Dunsany's teapot - oof. A lovely but sad story.

Seven Years - my god I LOVED this one. It's one of the longer stories and it's capital S capital F Sci Fi. I really had to go back to the beginning to read it a second time with the full understanding of what was going on gleaned from the first read but what a lush piece of world building from Naomi Novik it was

Pride and prejudice and dragons -
A fun alternate P&P where Elizabeth gets her cake and eats it, admittedly didn't hit me as hard as I thought this one would

Castle Courlieu - I thought this was reminiscent of an old fairytale - slightly fantastical, a little horror, bittersweet

The Long way around - this was a little slow going to start, and I personally don't care for stories about sailing or being at sea. However, I did love the way it all pulled together!

A solid 4-stars.
Buried Deep is a collection of 13 short stories belonging to various genres and touching upon various themes.
Novik’s craft is awesome.
My favourite stories in this collection were After Hours, Seven, Spinning Sliver, Blessings and Dragons and Decorum. 5/5 for each.
The other stories were a varying of enjoyment 2-4 stars.
Characterisation 5/5 (for most of the stories)

So unfortunately this book did not hit my fairytale short story or reimagined flipped tales vibe at all.

Although Novaks writing is beautiful, way they describe even eating or just waking is a pleasure to read. It just fell flat, I read most of the short story’s and I was bored , so very bored nothing gripped me.

I’m sad that I didn’t like this as her writing is normally no touching and expressive. I just didn’t feel much or anything from this book . It felt more like essays or personal writing.

Thanks though nice to try something different

Naomi Novik really has a way with words so while short story compilations usually aren't my thing, I jumped at the chance to read this and it did not disappoint.

Buried Deep and Other Stories is a mix of old and new and really shows the breadth of Novik's work and how her words are magic no matter the story she weaves. Uprooted is one of my favourite stories of all time and while I could not finish Spinning Silver, I still appreciated the craftsmanship of the story. That essence is captured neatly in this collection. There are some stories that are deeply intriguing, and others that I didn't regret reading but I am unlikely to want to read again.

My only real complaint about this book is that there are stories set in the worlds of her existing series and while some ('Vici') require no prior knowledge, there were others ('After Hours') that felt like I'd started a story halfway through. I appreciate why they have been included, but they were featured quite early on and it did give the collection the vibe from the outset that it was perhaps geared towards fans of her older work, which is absolutely not the case.

It's hard to define who to recommend this book to. If you are a fan of her previous work you will enjoy revisiting some worlds. If you've never read her work it gives a good overview of exactly what she is capable of, and is a great stepping off point into her many worlds.

I liked this collection of short stories. I’m a fan of Naomi Novik’s books Uprooted and Spinning Silver so was excited to get an introduction into some of her other worlds. Some of the stories weren’t my type, but the majority of them I found enjoyable. I actually really liked the first story in the collection- a pirate themed tale with a kick ass female lead. I also really liked the little introduction written by the author in front of each story and would be keen to hear more about her writing processes.