Offering my perspective as someone new to Novik's work - I've had her titles on my TBR for a long time, and her fairytales especially pop up again and again in recommendations, but this is the first title of hers that I've read.

As others have mentioned, many of the stories are additions to her existing works and set in the context of those larger stories. I found I still enjoyed these stories - they felt like a little sampler, a taste of the worldbuilding and character cast that I might encounter - and crucially, they show off Novik's narrative voice and style.

I found the entire collection immensely readable (and I did really enjoy her fairytale stories, so much so that my next read is Uprooted). I recommend for those new to Novik's writing, as well as avid readers eager to read any extra tidbits of her work.

My only critique is an agreement that I prefer a common theme or uniting factor in a collection of stories, and in this case it really is just a compendium of bits and pieces that have been tied together.

I am a huge fan of Naomi Novik's writing. She has this incredible talent for really bringing a story to life. I have yet to read a book by her that I did not enjoy.

I am the type of person who wants the the story to be fully wrapped up by the end. No loose threads and everything tied with a bow. Because of this I have a hard time with short stories. I always want more. And these were no exception. So many of these I would turn the last page and sigh, it was over before I wanted to let the characters go.

I love a short story collection, and Novik knows just what fans of her work wanted. She's covered her Temeraire series and the gothic magical halls of the Scholomance series as well as her other magical and mythical realms. If her stories have ever left you wanting more, this short story collection can help. There's just a little more to help you fall in love with those worlds all over again. Buried Deep also gave us a glimpse into Novik's next world Abandon, which I am very excited about! I will be re-reading this collection just to get my fix until the next series. Amazing job!

I also enjoyed the notes for each story and how Naomi Novik basically cops to not always remembering what it was she wrote in the notes and to just enjoy them as part of the stories. She is one of us.

An extremely fun anthology of short stories featuring a bunch of your favorites from various Naomi Novik 'verses, her signature voice, and a new world that I am dying to see more of. My favorites from the anthology were: "after Hours," "Vici," "Buried Deep," "Dragons & Decorum," and "The Long Way Round."

“Buried Deep and Other Stories” is a short story collection from fantasy author Naomi Novik. This collection has 13 short stories with settings that exist in Novik’s previous novels. As a fan of Novik’s novels, returning to these worlds felt like visiting old friends.

Novik’s stories are detailed and atmospheric. Her gift for world-building is on display in each installment. And yet despite the common thread that runs through Novik’s writing, she finds a way to make each story stand out on its own.

Her characters are memorable and each story sparkles with its own vibrance. Novik’s dialogue stands out. It moves the plots along at a steady pace and lets the readers learn more about each character, so each story feels well rounded. Novik can weave intricate plots with character-driven narratives in a seamless fashion.

The anthology has influences of history, literature, magic, folklore, and fairy tales. My favorite stories were the ones that harkened back to Novik’s fairytale retellings. While short story collections can often feel rushed, Novik imbues each story with enough details to keep the readers satisfied.

Novik also includes a story that teases the setting of an upcoming, unreleased fantasy series to whet her readers appetite.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for an ARC. All opinions are my own.

Having read Naomi Novik’s Scholomance trilogy (and loved it), the first Temeraire book (His Majesty’s Dragon: enjoyed it but didn’t love), and Spinning Silver and Uprooted, I was, I felt, a good candidate to read this collection of short stories that have mostly been published in other collections previously. Having finished this set, I feel if you’re like me and are familiar with (and really enjoyed) those books, you’re the best prepared to enjoy this. If you’re not familiar with the worlds of Temeraire and the Scholomance, you already won’t get much out of three stories.

Interestingly, the “Spinning Silver” story here is the basis for the novel. I did enjoy the fleshed-out book; it gave the proper attention to the elements that started in the story.

The short stories here set in the Temeraire world, of an alternate history where dragons are part of the armies in the Napoleonic Wars, are fun. I most liked Temeraire and the other curious, intelligent dragons who grow up from hatchlings with human trainers/partners/fliers. In this collection, I must admit I was most entertained by “Dragons and Decorum,” in which Elizabeth Bennet gets to become a captain in the Aerial Corps as the partner of dragon Wollstonecraft.

Novik also enters the world of Sherlock Holmes via her story “Commonplaces,” exploring the character of Irene Adler. I’ll admit I’ve never actually read any of the classic Conan Doyle books, so I didn’t get a lot out of this one.

I loved getting to pop back into the Scholomance world, in a story that takes place after the end of the series. It wasn’t earth-shaking, but it was just fun to revisit.

“Buried Deep” was a fascinating story, but one that definitely deserves the novel treatment. It felt like a study of a larger work to come, but I don’t know if Novik has plans to do that. She is, however, working on a novel set in the world of the last story, “The Long Way Round.” The taste the story gave me of that world she is just starting to explore in her imagination was fine but didn’t necessarily leave me eager for the novel.

So… I’d say this collection is kind of a mixed bag. Some of the stories didn’t really spark my fancy, and I most enjoyed the ones that simply revisited existing worlds. Again, best for those who have read most of Novik’s previous works.

Naomi Novik has written some stunning fantasy novels, so I was keen to see what happened when she turned her hand to shorter fiction, and can confirm that the result is a great little collection of thirteen stories, all very different.

My personal favourites were ‘After Hours’ – a Scholomance story set after the great ‘Calling’ but before the finale, with an engaging new witchy main character; ‘Buried Deep’ – an emotional retelling of the Minotaur and Ariadne mythology; ‘Seven’ – about a master potter and the bone clay she is expected to work with at great personal cost; and ‘Dragons and Decorum’ – a Temeraire-style retelling of Pride and Prejudice with Lizzie as a dragon-flying captain, which deftly fixes some of the issues I had with Bingley and Darcy’s attitude problems in the original.

Then there are pirates, dragons, Irene Adler, drunk fairies, war teapots, creepy castles and exploring the unknown because, “Why not?”. Every story is well-written and entertaining, with a mixture of styles and content to allow something for every fantasy fan.

This collection functions as a great sampler of the author’s characters, voice, worldbuilding and story-spinning for newcomers, and a selection box of goodies for established fans.

Unfortunately this did not click for me. I love Novik’s writing but it is hard to get into some of these stories without being familiar with all the influences from her writing. I have read several of her series but not all and I can’t help but feel that this was a struggle at times because of that.

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a great collection of stories. Makes me want to reread the authors other works!

Buried Deep by Naomi Novik is a remarkable collection of short stories that showcases her talent for blending history, myth, and magic. Each tale is a carefully crafted gem, offering a glimpse into diverse worlds filled with ancient secrets, mysterious forces, and human struggles. Novik’s writing is elegant and immersive, effortlessly drawing readers into rich, vividly imagined settings that feel both fantastical and familiar.

The strength of this collection lies in the depth of her characters. In every story, they grapple with personal challenges that are intricately tied to the larger, mystical elements of their world. Despite the brevity of the format, Novik delivers fully realized narratives with layers of tension, emotion, and surprise.

Whether you’re a long-time fan of her work or new to her storytelling, Buried Deep offers an enchanting, thoughtful experience. Each story stands on its own, yet collectively, they leave a lasting impression on the reader.

I was provided an ARC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

This was a lovely collection of short stories some previously published elsewhere and a peek at something new. Most of the stories are tied to to her other novels. I haven't read all of Novik's works previously but I didn't find it necessary to follow along with any of these stories. I found each one captivating. They vary in length and a perfect for when you don't want to tackle something 300+ pages and only want to sit with something for a short amount of time. The subject matter varies widely from the Scholomance, the world of Spinning Silver, and a few stories set in the world of Temeraire, the magic and fantasy is delightful. I can't wait to read more from the new world of Abandon, while one of the longer stories and it sets the stage for the Novik's upcoming novel. I am hooked and can't wait for more, it was one of my favorite stories from the collection.

All of the stories had wonderful, rich settings and great characters. Novik is quickly becoming a favorite author as I'm slowly catching up on her backlog. I highly recommend this for fans of her work or those wanting to see what her work is all about. This is a great introduction and a great companion for new and old fans alike.

Buried Deep and Other Stories by Naomi Novik

I had heard the name Naomi Novik for years, and had picked up Spinning Silver and Uprooted when they were on sale on audible, but I had never read any of her books until the Scholomance trilogy was nominated for the best series Hugo. I gave it a try and immediately got sucked in and read them all in a rush one after another after another. I loved her writing style and her characterization, and I was thrilled when I got to meet her at New York Comic-Con last year and tell her how much I enjoyed the series. I also really enjoyed Uprooted and Spinning Silver, so I was delighted to get an eARC of her short story collection Buried Deep and Other Stories in exchange for an honest review.

I usually love single author short story collections, and this was no exception! This book is a wonderful place to see the depth and breath of Ms. Novick’s talent. I especially enjoyed the story set in the Scholomance that took place after the end of the trilogy, the story about the pirates, and the stories set in her Napoleonic dragons universe - I will have to check out that series next! This was an excellent book, well worth your time.

As someone who isn’t familiar with the authors other works, I fear I wasn’t the target audience here. I would still recommend to fantasy lovers and those who enjoyed the authors previous series!

Thank you to Naomi Novik and Del Rey via NetGalley for the eARC of this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

I love Novik’s writing and enjoyed getting to explore so many worlds and stories in this collection. I felt extremely connected to many characters even after just 20 or so pages. My favorite stories were “Buried Deep” and “Castle Coeurlieu”. I also enjoyed her last story that, from her introduction, seems to be a first look at an upcoming novel by her. I can’t wait to see how the world evolves when she finishes whatever she is working on.

I sometimes have a hard time getting invested in anthologies, as not all the stories will be for everyone, and the stories I enjoy are never long enough.

In this anthology, Naomi Novik's short stories are set in the worlds of her published books, such as Scholomance and Temeraire. I really enjoyed the Scholomance one. However, I haven't read her Temeraire series and found I didn't love those stories. At some point, I would love to read those so maybe after I do I would enjoy these stories more.
A few of her standalone stories I enjoyed a lot and would have loved to be expanded. Like in most anthologies, we have some hits and some misses, but I love Naomi Novik's writing, so I'll continue to read whatever she comes out with.

These stories were not what I was expecting, but were excellently written. I was expecting fairy tales with happy endings. What I read was surprising and deeper and richer, and sometimes very funny. Sometimes not. It's hard to pick favorites but the story of Araminta and the pirates was hilarious and completely unexpected. I'm still thinking about the story of the Minotaur. I suspect that one will take more than one read to properly digest it.

I received an e-arc from the publisher via NetGalley, and voluntarily read and reviewed it.

I received an ARC of this book by the publisher via Netgalley in an exchange for an honest review.

Reviewing short story collections can be tricky since each different story is going to fall somewhere different on your ratings scale. So when I look at short story collections I'm looking at the aggregate. I'm also a much bigger fan of novels rather than short stories. One of my favorite parts about reading is seeing the characters develop throughout the span of the novel, and you typically don't get as much character growth in short stories. This collection has a lot of different types of fantasy stories ranging from one-shots set in the world of Novik's previous novels/series (Temeraire, Spinning Silver, and Scholomance), to some fanfiction pieces of classic novels (Pride & Prejudice and Sherlock Holmes), to standalone vignettes, and finally the last story is an introduction to Novik's upcoming no fantasy series. I found most of the stories quite interesting. My favorite story was the one that was the precusor the Spinning Silver. It's been awhile since I read Spinning Silver, so it was nice to revisit it. I kind of wish she'd write spin-off her Pride & Prejudice/Temeraire story into a novel. There were certain parts of it that I liked, but the story suffered from the lack of character development due to the constraints of being a short story. The sneak-peak into her new series was interesting but left a lot of questions unanswered. It was giving me strong Stormlight Archives vibes.

Overall, I'd give this collection a 4 out of 5 stars.

Naomi Novik is an absolute master of her craft, and I am truly blown away at the diversity of Novik's stories. Buried Deep and Other Stories is composed of 13 short stories ranging from fantasy to sci-fi to mystery. While not all stories were for me, I loved/enjoyed the majority and found all stories to be well written. The ratings below are solely based on my enjoyment.

Araminta - 3/5
After Hours - 1/5
Vici - 3/5
Buried Deep - 5/5
Spinning Silver - 5/5
Commonplaces - 2/5
Seven - 5/5
Blessings - 4/5
Lord Dunsany's Teapot - 1/5
Seven Years from Home - 4/5
Dragons and Decorum - 3/5
Castle Coeurlieu - 4/5
The Long Way Round - 4/5

I received an ARC from Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Del Rey via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I had really high hopes for this, but there’s not much to be excited about here.

You can almost always tell the difference between a story collection where each story is a lovingly-crafted, individual piece of art, and the ones that feel more like the author was approached to do a collection and essentially said “here’s what I had laying around.”

I’m a huge fan of most of Naomi Novik’s novels, and her writing is lovely here just like always is, but there wasn’t a single story in this collection that felt satisfying to me. The stories that come from the same world as her previous novels feel redundant, and the standalones all felt pretty half-baked.

As always I look forward to Novik’s next novel, but this was disappointing.

I have enjoyed the novels I have read my Naomi Novik, but I did not feel that this collection of short stories stood up to my expectations. The stories often felt like writing exercises rather than fully formed tales.