Novik never disappoints. While I know her primarily from the Scholomance series, I enjoyed this sampler of her varied and expertly wielded writing style

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for this Advanced Reader's Copy.

I have always been a fan of Naomi Novik, and this anthology was another success. Only once did it falter, and this misstep occured in one particular aspect: Novik committed the "literary sin" of modern themes and tones within a old-fashioned or early-era-inspired storylines. While some authors can commit this 'sin' and make it work in their favor, Novik wasn't reliably able to do that in this anthology. The result was the occasional feeling of dissonance in which I wasn't fully 'buying' what Novik was 'selling.' That said, Naomi succeeded in bringing her typical world-building finesse and intricate storylines to this collection despite the varying length of each piece. The fantasy elements felt both original and nostalgic. She brought in the key features we fantasy fanatics love (i.e., dragons, witches, etc.) while bringing them new life that felt refreshing. Novik also wove together a cast of characters who were all equally unique yet relatable. The reasons why any book can inspire that five-star feeling are as ineffable as the feeling is illusive, and this book regrettably just didn't give me that five-star feeling. That said, in my humble opinion, Novik created a beautiful work worthy of wide audience. Four stars for Buried Deep and Other Stories!

Fantastic author! Great pacing and great development for the characters. I was heavily invested in the plot and descriptive settings.

A fun collection, with several long stories -- no explicit theme, but like a lot of Novik's work there's thoughts about value and what human beings owe to each other humming along in the background. Most of the stories are reprints, but I hadn't read them all before. If you haven't read the Temeraire Pride & Prejudice story before (it was in a collection from Subterranean Press, so not super wide circulation) it's definitely worth seeking out! It was really sad, but I think my favorite story in the collection might have been Seven.

Noami Novim can do no wrong and this book of stories is further proof. I loved this so much that once I finished it I immediately began rereading it. Every story is amazing, there's no possible way to pick a favorite!

Fans of Naomi Novik's work will thoroughly enjoy this anthology. The short stories varied in genre giving just the right length of story for an enjoyable read each time. A highlight was getting to see how the Scholomance was doing after Orion and El's grand escape. Glad to see it's safer but by no means Hogwarts! Getting a glimpse into the new world Novik is building has me excited for her next book!

Uprooted remains one of my favorite books, and I very much enjoyed the full length version of Spinning Silver, so I was excited to see this collection of short stories from Novik. Overall though, I felt a little disappointed in the stories, and felt like I had to push myself to finish each one, even though they were (by definition, short).

I haven't read either the Scholomance series or the Temeraire series, so I think this hindered my both my understanding and possibly appreciation for the short stories that were based in this world (the exception maybe being the Vici about dragons in Rome, but only because I loved how snarky the dragon was). I also enjoyed the Pride and Prejudice riff with dragons, which almost makes me want to try the Temeraire series (though I'm generally not a fan of military heavy stories).

Buried Deep, which is a retelling of the Minotaur myth, felt forced and labored, and I had to force myself to finish reading through it. Seven Years from Home (a more SciFi story) was also hard to read and follow for me, though I found the tech/magic introduced to be interesting and novel. It was interested to see the short version of Spinning Silver and how the story evolved into the full length novel (I think I prefer the full length ending though!). I am also intrigued by the Long Way Round, which is a set of sailing siblings that may be the setting for Novik's next full length book. I like the premise and I think the characters were interesting, though the overall story felt a little boring. It will be interesting to see how things change or grow into the full length story, similar to the way Spinning Silver started.

The rest of the collection felt - blah. I have to refer back to the contents to even remember what the other stories were.

Overall, I think its a good reflection of Novik's work, best enjoyed by readers who have read (and enjoyed) her longer series (Temeraire and Scholomance).

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the eARC. All thoughts and opinons are my own.

I started this after devouring the entire Scholomance series in a week. I wanted to know if it was just that series or if, as I suspected, Naomi Novak is just one of my new favorite authors. At this point, I would read her grocery list.

This book is a collection of 13 short(ish) stories, some previously published and some new. I thought it was a diverse collection, with everything from dragons and fairies to Greek retellings and Sherlock Holmes. Stand-out stories for me were "Araminta, or, The Wreck of the Amphidrake," the namesake story "Buried Deep," and "Blessings," which were all easy five stars. Because this was a collection of unrelated short stories, I read it gradually over a more extended period, and that helped me appreciate some of the stories more.

What I didn't love about this book: while there was a decent amount of variety, I wished this had been split into two collections of short stories. Thirteen was a lot to read through when they aren't interrelated, and several of them felt forgettable or just as though they didn't quite belong in the collection. In particular, I did not like the Sherlock Holmes based story and was a bit sad that "After Hours," a novel set in the scholomance world, didn't work for me as it was missing the dark humor aspect of the original series, several of the stories I didn't enjoy were two - three stars, which brought down my average for the collection quite a bit.

Who is this for? Ultimately, any fan of Naomi Novak's other works should enjoy this. I would not plan on reading this straight through as a novel. I don't recommend it as an introduction to the author's work. The stories feel complete, but some were so good at world-building that they left me asking, "But then what happened?"

Naomi Novik is one of my favorite fantasy authors, so I couldn't miss the opportunity to read her first anthology.

Buried Deep and Other Stories is a compendium of 11 short stories previously published in a variety of anthologies, plus 2 new stories - one set in the Scholomance world, and another in Naomi's upcoming series. Like any other anthology, some stories are better than others, but overall I had a nice time reading most of them.

Araminta, or the Wreck of the Amphidrake - 4,5 stars. I could easily read a whole novel about Araminta, she's amazing. Plus, I love pirates, magical objects and crossdressing characters, so of course I'd love it.

After Hours - 4,5 stars. OMG I MISS THE SCHOLOMANCE WORLD SOOOOO MUCH! I'd DIE for Naomi Novik to write a spin-off with short stories for us to follow El and Orion on their future adventures together. My only complaint is that Orion only shows up for a brief moment, and El doesn't even show up at all, but I like the new characters, their powers and the take on friendship, privilege and parents with dubious morals.

Vici - 5 stars. Another short story I'd give my liver for Naomi Novik to turn into a full novel (please, Naomi, I'M BEGGING YOU!). Antonius is the kind of character I always love: he's morally grey, smart-mouthed, full of shit and is always creating chaos wherever he goes. His dragon, Vici, is as chaotic as him, and together they make the perfect duo. I loved following their adventures together.

Buried Deep - 5 stars. A beautiful retelling of greek myth of Minotaur and Ariadne. The sadness of losing a loved one, the pressures of being the king's daughter, the pain of loss and separation, two souls looking for each other - brother and sister. There is nothing in this story I didn't love, but specially the melancholy of it (I'm a sad bitch, guys).

Spinning Silver - 5 stars. This is basically a short story version of Novik's novel Spinning Silver. The only difference is the ending, and since I enjoyed waaaay more THIS ending than the novel's one, I'm giving it 5 stars.

Commonplaces - 2 stars. A story inspired by Sherlock Holmes, and most specifically, Irene Adler's character. Boring plot.

Seven - 3 stars. Even though the plot is interesting, the story could have half of its size. It came to a moment where it started to drag and get boring, and since it already has a slow pacing to begin with, I didn't enjoy it as much as I could have.

Blessings - 4,5 stars. FAIRY STORIES! I LOVE IT! I'm a huge fan of fairytales and retellings, so obviously I'd love this one. My only complaint is that it's too short, I could've had 20 more pages (or maybe this is my biased opinion, since I'm never tired of reading more stories with fairies in them).

Lord Dunsany's Teapot - 2 stars. I didn't like this one very much.

Seven Years From Home - 2 stars. I didn't connect with the characters and the plot didn't hold my attention enough.

Dragons and Decorum - 1 star. I don't like Pride and Prejudice, so it's no news I wouldn't like a retelling of it as well. Truth be said, this short story lacked creativity, it seems like a copy + paste version of P & P, but with a dragon on it (and the dragons barely show up).

Castle Coerlieu - 5 stars. I don't know if I fully understood the ending, but I loved this story. It's so creative, magical, dark, sad, intriguing, dream-like, everything at the same time. Do you know when you love a story so much you want to jump inside of it to know all its mysteries, all its hidden corners? That's how I felt reading this one. Also, it'd be an amazing full length novel (please, Naomi, just write it to me).

The Long Way Around - 5 stars. All the stars to this one! Long Way has everything I love in a story: a good plot, pirates, sibling relationships, gay romance, adventure, plus the mysterious islands with even more mysterious architectural behemoths. The good part it: this one WILL be a full length novel, and I can't wait to read it and unravel all of its mysteries.

I really enjoy Naomi Novik’s writing and I think this is a great way to see little peaks into her work. At times, I found some of the stories confusing as I had not read a particular series, but overall I enjoyed this collection.

"Finding magic, finding a thing of magic, while you were still young enough to truly believe, could open the door, and then if you had some little gift as well, a powerful magic could awaken to bloom."

Returned to the world of Temeraire. The Scholomance. Spinning Silver. Uprooted.

I adore every series that Naomi Novik has ever penned. The author is so exquisite in her writing, that I am not surprised how popular her novels became. The worlds are unforgiving and grisly, but so magical and dark and biting.

After Hours, story from the Scholoamance trilogy. Araminta. Vici, from Temeraire. Buried Deep. Spinning Silver. Common Places from Sherlock Holmes. Seven. Blessings. Lord Dunsany's Teapot. Seven Years From Home. Dragons and Decorum, a pride and prejudice retelling. Castle Coeurlieu. The Long Way Around.

This novel full of thirteen short stories was endearing, if not a little odd. I loved getting to return to the same realms my favorite books were set in. I adored the retelling of fairytales. The stories were so mystical and fantastical.

The magic systems are all so well written, they were fascinating. The societies intricate and merciless. Yes, the stories were short and fleeting. Still, they give a peek into a believable existence, a peek into an enduring civilization.

The characters were so dynamic, so separate from one another. Some were witty and intelligent, others delicate and noble. There is a resiliency of character, a refusal to give into the demands of the society. They are all character driven short stories, all with their own arcs and adventures.

Not every story was loved. There were some odd ones out, some that I could not connect with no matter how hard I tried. I love Novik's writing and will read anything she publishes. There were just certain worlds I could not get lost in, or a character I could not root for no matter how hard I tried.

Overall, a nice collection, a wonderful anthology! 🌟🌟🌟🌟/5 Stars!

Buried Deep

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I’m going to preface this with the fact that I am usually not a fan of short stories, but I could not resist a collection of them by one of my favorite authors.

4 Stars overall.

Araminta
Temeraire
3/5
Perfectly fine, pirate stories are not my favorite.

After Hours
Scholomance
4/5
Great to see how the school has changed since the trilogy’s end.

Vici
Temeraire
4.5/5
Bizarre, but funny. How dare this be a short story.

Buried Deep
Greek retelling on Ariadne and the Labyrinth
4/5
I liked this. Maybe it’s the Percy Jackson in me, but this was beautiful.

Spinning Silver
The short story that inspired the full length novel
5/5
I still love the book so much, and while it has a different ending, I still smiled through every page.

Commonplaces
Sherlock Holmes - Irene Adler
2/5
Hesitated to rate this one, as I do not know the source material enough to truly judge the story. But this still felt a little too short?

Seven
Original
4/5
I really liked this, but I wish we got more of an ending, or expansion of the world because it’s so interesting. I know that wasn’t exactly the point of the story, but I wish for it all the same.

Blessings
Classic fairytale about a too much blessed child/fairy godmothers
4/5
Again, needs more. Feels like the start to a really cool sapphic story.

Lord Dunsany’s Teapot
Lambshead Curiosities
3/5
Perfectly fine. Not my genre, so I did not find connection with the story/characters

Seven Years From Home
Sci-Fi
No rating, did not finish, simply not my genre.

Dragons & Decorum
Temeraire/Pride & Prejudice
4/5
Not usually my thing, especially the older style of writing, but my love for the original story brought up the rating.

Castle Coeurlieu
Distant Mirror
3/5
Fine, but again, too many loose ends and somehow still not enough.

The Long Way Round
Folly, Future Project
4/5
Some parts of this were rather a bit long winded in their explanations of the intricacies of sailing. The relationship between Tessa and her brother was the heart of this story. I’m looking forward to the new project in this world.

A delightful collection of tales that made me go at once to re-read Spinning Silver and other Novik favourites! Thought provoking and full of delicious potential.

Naomi Novik has written enormously entertaining books in a wide range of genres for entirely different audiences, but it isn’t always noticeable if you haven’t sampled all of her work. This collection of stories allows you to do just that, and it is a delight. Fans will be amazed once again that the author of the Temeraire series is the same as the author of the Scholomance books, or of Spinning Silver. Her knowledge, sense of humor, skill with characterization, rich imagination, and ability to create memorable and endearing characters comes across in story after story, and will have you wanting more. Some themes that recur include the value of individual agency, especially for women; the importance of acting on one’s moral convictions and maintaining integrity in the face of adversity; and the role that individual courage can play in changing your destiny. If you are unfamiliar with Novik’s work, this collection is a great way to get to know her. I am betting you will then want to read all of her books, and I envy anyone just starting out on the journey!

While Naomi Novik isn't my favorite author, she remains absolutely brilliant and this collection (and yes, I did preorder the audiobook) is no exception.

Think of this collection as a casket of jewels- you take it home, you admire it and then, once opened, you take each jewel out one by one, turning it this way and that, so as to savor every facet.

That's how I read this collection. I allowed myself one story a day (or so) and gave myself time to absorb and reflect between each. Since each little gem encompasses a different world all its own, this worked really well to allow me the maximum enjoyment without expectations. And if some of the worlds were delightfully familiar, still others were completely new (at least to me) and at least one was a jewel I'd already ejoyed but cut just a little differently and complete in itself.

Solid 5.

This review is based on an advance copy that I received for free.

I really enjoyed this. I had three separate stories that were 5 stars individually and several others that were 4 stars. I did dnf the scifi short story because it simply went over my head. I did like "The Long Way Around" it's a great concept, but I felt like it was dragging with the set-up. Overall really recommend this collections.

Buried Deep and Other Stories is a collection of 13 short stories by Naomi Novik that both take readers back to familiar characters and worlds and charts new territory. All but one of the stories have been published in other anthologies at some time and the last and longest tale is set in the world of one of Novik's upcoming works.

As with any short story collection I had favorites and least favorites, but overall I really enjoyed this book. My favorites were the original short story upon which Spinning Silver is based, an Ariadne retelling, and a Pride and Prejudice re-imagining where Elizabeth Bennet is a captain in the dragon army. If you are familiar with Novik's writing, I highly recommend this collection as a way to experience more and to get a glimpse at some old favorites. If you are new to her work, then this would be an excellent place to start!

I enjoyed this collection of stories, especially Dragons & Decorum. It was a delight to see Spinning Silver in its short story form. I had read Buried Deep in a previous anthology but it was lovely to revisit it. This book will certainly grace my bookshelf upon publication.

A bunch of stories that are a bit complicated to read. I've read Novik's work before and it's always been a delight. These short stories were written in a swirly whirly type of way where it takes an entire paragraph to finish a thought. They weren't for me and I'm going to stick with her full length novels.

I love the way this book was written, my only issue with it is that it is a collection of short stories (which is really just a me problem!). Totally worth the read, she is an amazing author.