"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.

What a great collection of fantasy short stories. I know a majority of these have been published previously, but they were all new to me. One of the things I love most about this book is that all but one of the stories has strong female leads-human or otherwise. They generally lead the men where they want them to go, fight for their livelihood, their independence, or just show their incredible strength. Some of my favorite stories from this collection are Vici-a female dragon that was meant to be killed as punishment; Blessings-drunk fairies come and haphazardly bless a baby with unflattering gifts; Seven Years From Home-a woman is sent to another planet to collect intel for her home planet; and Dragons & Decorum-a fantasy take on Pride and Prejudice. Some of the stories are infused with humor, some with problems and pain that hit close to home, but all show an aim that the character strive for-successfully overcoming obstacles and learning lessons along the way.

A solid collection for any lover of fantasy novels and stories. I would highly recommend this book.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC!

This collection of stories had some great ones and not so great ones. I thought the first five stories were pretty entertaining. My favorite were Buried Deep, After Hours, Vici, and Spinning Silver, which were all in the first half of the book. Unfortunately after the 50% mark, I just could not get into the stories and found them to be hard to want to finish, hence only three stars.

Was really excited to get this eARC of BURIED DEEP as I'm a big fan of Novik's fantasy (especially SPINNING SILVER and A DEADLY EDUCATION). While the endings didn't always hit the way I love a good short story to do, I continue to be blown away by by Novik's inventive world building and writing talent (her language/tone adjusts to accommodate each story in a way that really shows this off). I wouldn't recommend this as the first book to pick up from her, but if you're already a fan of Novik's, I doubt you'll be disappointed with BURIED DEEP!

Some standout stories:

After Hours - This takes place after the events of the Scholomance Trilogy and was a great dip back into this very memorable academic institution.

Buried Deep - A haunting retelling of Ariadne, the Minotaur and the Labyrinth. Maybe the most emotional version of the myth I've ever read.

Spinning Silver - Just as immersive, even as one familiar with the plot. Interesting to see how this original short story was adapted into the full length novel.

Seven Years from Home - Politically-minded explorer gets emotionally invested in the native people she meets on an interstellar mission. I loved the play with language here (felt very historical)

Dragons & Decorum - Pride and prejudice but with dragons (although I admit I liked HEARTSTONE by Elle White more, which has the exact same idea)

The Long Way Round - This was the original reason why I requested an eARC of BURIED DEEP as the blurb promised "a glimpse at the world of Novik’s upcoming series, a deserted land, populated only by silent and enigmatic architectural behemoths whose secrets are yet to be unlocked"- which totally delivered. Will definitely look forward to her next full length pieces, especially if it takes place in this world!

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group for the free eARC!

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me an advanced readers copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

It’s difficult for me to accurately rate this collection. I confess, I am not really a short story type of person. They tend to focus more on metaphors and I am unfortunately a very literal person so oftentimes the themes go over my head completely and leave me feeling confused. I requested this ARC dispute that fact because I am such a huge fan of Noemi Novik’s novels. So my feelings on the collection were sort of a mixed bag: I absolutely loved some of the stories while others I couldn’t quite “get”. But that’s more of a me problem than a problem of the book itself I feel. Getting to revisit the scholomance was absolutely delightful and I really enjoyed all the tales that were an extension of the Temeraire universe. So even though some of the stories were a “miss” for me I still rate the collection four stars and would absolutely get it for the bookstore

I thoroughly enjoyed this collection of short stories. From revisiting familiar worlds to getting glimpses of new ones I found something to love in every story in this collection. My favorites were a retelling of Pride & Prejudice set in Temeraire's world, and also the final story of the collection. I can't remember any of the titles but those two were highlights for me. But I also enjoyed the other stories. A wonderful collection!

I love Naomi Novik. I read everything she writes. Her writing is pristine and lush. I enjoy the characters in these stories. I was thrilled to see this book. Each story is unique, just like her other books. Highly recommend!!

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read an ARC of this book.

I love Naomi Novik's work, this is the level of mastery that I aspire to one day have. So when I was approved for an ARC of this collection of short stories, I immediately dropped what I was reading to start reading this. Naomi Novik is one of those authors whose works I have physical copies of, in pristine condition on my shelf.

I love this collection. I find that with so many of her stories, I always wish for more. I cannot wait to read her new series Folly.

3.6 I guess…it took me a while to work my way through these stories, but most of them are enjoyable enough. Most are previously published and many are riffs on or side-stories of Novik’s novels, so it helps if you’re already a fan. Thanks to Netgalley for the advance copy.

Naomi Novim can do no wrong in my book and Burid Deep certainly loved up to my expectations! I loved these stories and am so happy I got to visit the lands of her imagination again. And with one of the stories being a Pride and Prejudice reimagining, well, need I say more? Every story I read in this book became my new favorite by the time I finished it!

Collection of stories, including from the worlds of Temeraire (Caesar, and also a Pride and Prejudice retelling), the Scholomance, and the in-progress world of (architectural) follies. Nicely representative.