Naomi Novik is genuinely one of my favourite authors! I have fallen in love with her writing style and ability to spin a magical story every time.

Each short story was incredibly rich and fantastical in the best way. It was amazing to get to revisit so many of her previous worlds. From Greeks and Romans, to pirates and dragons and getting to return to the Scholomance - this was so much fun! If all of that wasn’t enough to convince you to read this collection, then know there is a Pride & Prejudice retelling with dragons.

I absolutely adored this anthology!

Like with all short story collection, not all short stories are equal. There are some gems in this win and I enjoyed it.

3.5 stars
I'll be real - short story collections are not often my thing. However, I really enjoyed Naomi Novik's Scholomance series as well as Spinning Silver and so I was excited to delve into more of her work in Buried Deep.

The collection is so varied, with fairytale retellings, reimaginings of myth, mini episodes from her full length novels, and even stories inspired by history. I also loved the explanation that came before each tale, as it gives some interesting insight into the background of the writing.

These stories showcase the dark and fantastical worlds of Novik so well, and they capture your imagination time and again. I was especially impressed by After Hours, Commonplaces, and Seven. Each is so rich and absorbing, and I found myself mesmerized by the worlds within despite how brief they lasted.

That's the thing with most short stories though - I don't want them to end. I wanted to follow Beata even longer and see what the school is like since El and Orion purged the Mals. I wanted to observe Irene Adler's relationship with Holmes for a few more days. I wanted to learn the secrets of the white clay.

There were a few stories I dragged myself through as well. Araminta took me ages to really warm up to as the tone is so serious and dry, and the narrator of Seven Years From Home felt stilted and verbose (like a nineteenth century lady of standing who is writing to her great aunt) which had me disconnecting early on. Luckily, the plot carried me through both, but I felt the characters and atmosphere didn't quite match up in in the same way her other stories achieve.

Overall, a great book for those who already are fans of Novik or who want an introduction to her work. It's magical but grimly realistic, and will have you craving more.

I requested this collection SO FAST because I knew it had a Scholomance story in it, but I really should have stopped to reflect on my mixed experiences with Naomi Novik's writing so far. While I adored Spinning Silver and, obviously, the Scholomance series, I had very mixed feelings about Uprooted and couldn't finish the first Temeraire novel. My reactions to Buried Deep, therefore, should be taken with a pinch of salt if you're an across-the-board Novik fan. I really struggled with the first half of this collection and considered abandoning it. The aforementioned Scholomance story, 'After Hours', was good, but felt a bit like middle-grade Scholomance, given the changes that have taken place in the institution since El's days. The others.... A couple were too silly for me ('Araminta', female pirate wish-fulfilment, and 'Vici', Temeraire offshoot set in classical Rome). The Spinning Silver story is just an alternate version of the opening of the novel, so added nothing. 'Commonplace' did not work for me at all, though admittedly it's about Irene Adler and I'm not a Sherlock Holmes fan. Then we got to 'Buried Deep', a retelling of the Minotaur myth that I plain hated - I'm out of patience for classical retellings anyway, and for me this completely missed what I love about the story by making the Minotaur misunderstood.

But then! We get to the second half of the collection, and things really picked up. I enjoyed 'Seven', with reservations - it gave me flashbacks to the binary gender roles in Uprooted, with the woman artist who is connected to the world and loves her children versus the selfish, obsessive male artist - but the worldbuilding is beautiful. 'Lord Dunsany's Teapot' was eerie and gorgeous, 'Blessings' fun, and very reminiscent of Robin McKinley's Spindle's End, which is no surprise as McKinley is clearly a big influence on Novik. The four standouts for me came all in a row, at the end. 'Dragons and Decorum' is an adorable retelling of Pride and Prejudice with dragons, which could also have become too silly but holds the line, probably because it's so firmly rooted in the existing Temeraire world. 'Castle Coeurlieu' shows off Novik's facility with folktale. 'The Long Way Round' is an exciting glimpse into a new idea that Novik's working on; the plot is that two siblings attempt an impossible sea voyage, but it's the relationship between them that really held my attention. And 'Seven Years from Home', the only SF story in the collection, is Le-Guin-esque in its depiction of a people who at first seem to be at one with the land but are also able to destroy it. So, difficult to rate... but very much worth dipping into, or reading in its entirety if you really love Novik. 3.5 stars.

NB. This is advertised as containing an Uprooted story, but personally I didn't spot it - there are a couple that I guess could be set in the same universe as Uprooted, but if you're a massive Uprooted fan, don't hold your breath.

Buried Deep and Other Stories is a collection of thirteen short stories that span the worlds created by Naomi Novik, including those of the Scholomance series, Spinning Silver and Uprooted, as well as a sneak peek at the land where her next novel will be based.

Each story is prefaced with an introduction which covers a little context or background for each story. I really enjoyed these little glimpses into the inspiration for each story.

Below are my thoughts on each individual story:

Araminta, or, The wreck of the Amphidrake
The language was quite formal, even for a regency-based story, so it initially took a little adjusting to. But once the story got to the halfway mark, I was definitely interested in where it was going and I would definitely read more about the character of Araminta. I do love Regency-based stories of any kind though (romances for sure, but also mysteries, fantasy, etc) so this one definitely worked for me as it's my favourite time period for stories. I would have loved this story to have continued a bit more, or to see another story about her in the future.

After Hours
This Scholomance-based short story showed how much potential there still is in this world for further characters and stories, even after the events of The Golden Enclaves. I really enjoyed it, and would have gladly spent more time with new character Beata. I loved the Scholomance series, and I think that seeing the difference between the school as it was and as it is now and the cameo of a main character from the series in this short story is more appreciated if you've read this series. You might lose a bit of impact if this short story is your entry point to the series, but it would still be enjoyable.

Vivi
This Roman-inspired story in the Temeraire universe was completely new to me, as I've never read the Temeraire series. I believe this is a prequel to the Temeraire series though, with Marcus Antonius as the main character, which worked out quite well for me as an entry to the series.

Buried Deep
This short story focuses on the Minotaur and his sister, Ariadne. I was sometimes confused by the language used and felt this one ended quite abruptly.

Spinning Silver
It's been a few years since I read the novel Spinning Silver, so reading this earlier short story version refreshed my memory of the main novel, but deviated enough that I was still pleasantly surprised. Although the ending is different, it's just a really good story, no matter the length, and I was entertained throughout!

Commonplaces
This short story focuses on the character of Irene Adler from Sherlock Holmes. I couldn't remember much of this character's backstory from the TV adaption of Sherlock Holmes, but I didn't need to because I got all the context and information needed to understand the story.

Seven
This story about a city named Seven instantly grabbed me. It was so descriptive and mysterious and it really went to a place I wasn't expecting! I loved this one.

Blessings
Drunk fairies dishing out blessings to the daughter of a Baron is a recipe for hilarity. This was was short but funny, and left me wanting to see more of the main character (the well-blessed child!).

Lord Dunsany's Teapot
This short story is set in the trenches during a world war, with two soldiers sharing stories over a cup of tea. Wartime stories just aren't for me really, so although this was well written like all the previous stories, it just wasn't my thing.

Seven Years From Home
It took me a while to adapt to the formal language and style of this short story, which focuses on a female spy for a Confederation ego are set on colonising another alien world. It was sometimes uncomfortable to read because of the plot, but I think it was the very formal language that maybe prevented me from connecting fully with the characters.

Dragons & Decorum
This short story is another Regency-era fantasy, so it was a massive hit for me! I love Elizabeth Bennett and her dragon Wollstonecraft, who "had in her first year already developed a taste for gothic literature". Wollstonecraft was sassy, and I loved seeing the classic story play out but with dragons!

Castle Coeurlieu
This story starts with a young girl named Isabeau marrying the Compte de Coeurlieu and going to live at Castle Coeurlieu amidst a war and plagues. The story starts gently, with multiple tales of the fortified tower there, where strange things happen at night or when its doors are shut. But when Isabeau's own story with the tower starts, the tension really ramps up. This half of the story was full of suspense.

The Long Way Round
This short story is set in the world of an upcoming book, and I was really excited to get a sneak peek of this setting via this story. It followed Tess and Aston, a sister and brother duo of navigator and shipbuilder, as they undertake a risky venture across the sea in uncharted waters. I am definitely looking forward to the book that will be based in this world now, whether it's with these characters or just based in this particular setting. It left me with questions for sure!

This was a fantastic collection of short stories, covering a range of time periods and story tones. It's just confirmed to me just how talented Naomi Novik is as a writer as she can literally turn her hand to anything! Depending on the reader's familiarity with Naomi's previous books, and the reader's preference of setting and tone, not all of these stories might work but they are so varied that there will definitely be multiple stories that hit for each reader.

Disclaimer: I received an ARC from NetGalley but this is my voluntary and honest review.

I am not actually a fantasy reader, but Naomi Novik is a writer whose work is irresistible. And this collection is no exception!

From the woes of the mushroom witch, to the delightful nod to a Jane Austen classic, readers will be spellbound by the diversity and depth of the stories on offer.

This book is not to be missed - not least because it offers the opportunity to read short fiction from a talented writer whose long form work we are vastly more familiar with. I loved it.