I loved every single one of these short stories, but especially the Scholomance one. While I haven’t finished the series, I absolutely love what I have read and it was cool to dip my toes back into the world. There was a little bit of everything from already established world and then a story from a new world that Naomi Novik is currently working on a series from and that has me super excited, because it was my second favorite behind the Scholomance story.

If you are a fan of Naomi Novik, you will love this. If you haven’t read any of her books, but have been curious, this is a great way to sample her writing and most of her worlds.

Thank you to @delreybooks and @netgalley for the eARC. All thoughts are my own.

Naomi Novik is one of those authors that I always pick up when I find a new release! Buried Deep and Other Stories is a wonderful collection of short stories in Novik's signature worlds. I love the extra Teremeire world-building! If you found Naomi Novik through Scholomance, go try out Teremiere through this short story collection!

I've been a Naomi Novik fan since I read the first of the Dragon Temeraire series, but I've never read any anthologies from her. I was attracted to this book because there are a couple of Temeraire related stories, but there are also a couple of Dark Academia Scholomance stories here, as well, along with a first look at the newest universe she's publishing soon..

One of my favorite stories was a delightful mashup of the Temeraire series and Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. It certainly helps to be a Jane Austen fan, and have read that story multiple times. My second favorite was a foundational Temeraire story set in Ancient Rome. My least favorite was the one about a young woman who gambles with death to save her village during the Middle Ages. Not because it was a bad story, I just didn't find it as engaging because it didn't contain any dragons, and I thought that would be the perfect setting in which to have them. I was surprised to like the Scholomance story, since I have not read those books yet, (mostly because I don't usually read Dark Academia books.)

Novik's writing style is clear and open and mostly upbeat even when she's trying to be solemn. There's nothing to point to as being especially problematic, although if you're looking for a lot of diversity of characters, you might be a bit disappointed. Novik tends to stay in her lane, but she is very good driver, so I don't mind.

This was an enjoyable collection and well worth the time reading.

I really enjoyed this fantasy short story collection by Naomi Novik. I’m a huge fan of hers, and I’ve read all 15 of her prior books - the 10 books in her Temeraire series (including the 9 main books in the series and a short story collection set in that universe), the Scholomance trilogy, and her two stand alone novels, so clearly I wasn’t going to miss this one.

This short story collection touches on the worlds of her previous books, along with lots of other settings, including inspiration from Greek mythology, Sherlock Holmes, fairy tales/mythology, and plenty of original inspiration as well. Like any short story collection, some are better than others, but I genuinely enjoyed them all. My favorites were After Hours, the story set in the Scholomance universe; and Dragons & Decorum, which previously was my favorite from her other short story collection and loved just as much reading it again - how can you not love a story reimagining Pride & Prejudice with added dragons? And the last story in the collection, The Long Way Round, according to her introduction, is set in the world of the new book she’s working on, and left me most intrigued to read more!

I know fantasy is not for everyone, and short stories are not for everyone, but if you’re a fan of either or even better both, I recommend this book.

Short story collections are always a bit of a toss-up and I'd say this holds true to that; about 50/50 on if I enjoyed them or not. There was one from the Scholomance world which I found to be absolutely fantastic and gave me such immense nostalgia to be back in that world. I also didn't realize that Spinning Silver started as a short story! As someone who found the novel considerably too long, it should've remained that way.
The story that was a spin on a Jane Austen novel but with dragons was a hell of a good time! But the spin on Sherlock Holmes was bewildering and nonsensical to say the least.
I'd say a mid read over all.

Fairy tale and myth retellings are a bit of a hard sell for me. Too often, turning these wild-caught stories into contemporary genre fiction—no matter how spirited the attempt—feels like a kind of domestication. So many more words to do, somehow, less… In an odd way, “realistic” YA sometimes feels more like the real thing—real fairy tales, real myths—than the average retelling. A novel that obeys its own logic, that reflects, not the world as it is, but deeper anxieties, joys, needs. Will I be loved? Do I deserve it? (The intensity of affirmation—yes, you deserve it, you deserve it, you deserve it, the final measure of the depth of doubt.) The frisson of sexual awakening that underlies The Little Mermaid, Little Red Riding Hood, or Snow White also underlies I Kissed Shara Wheeler, or Novik’s own Scholomance novels. In retellings, it is dangerously liable to be written about, when what it should be is sublimated.

Be that as it may, fairy tale retellings are the highlights of this delightful new story collection from Naomi Novik. “Spinning Silver”—which preceded the novel of the same name—is a wonderful story, as is “Castle Coerlieu.” Domesticated—yes, absolutely, compared to their central and eastern European source material, and to the actual history of those places. But lovely, absorbing, satisfying, just creepy enough. Above all, a pleasure to read. Talking dragons aren’t my style, nor swashbuckling pirates, nor Sherlock Holmes, but if the dragon and pirate and Sherlock stories here don’t do enough to change my mind about those preferences, they are perfectly enjoyable nonetheless; just because I’m not a coffee person doesn’t mean a good box of chocolates shouldn’t include a coffee-flavored bonbon. The last story, a queer, Earthsea-inflected exercise in fantasy worldbuilding, is more my flavor—and a rich treat indeed.

Buried Deep is a collection of the various short stories that Novik has written and published across multiple collections over the years, plus something new for fans of her existing works. Featuring some familiar faces and new ones alike, Buried Deep is a must-read for any Naomi Novik fans.

While I certainly picked up this one for the chance to revisit some existing worlds like Temaire or Spinning Silver, I was surprised by just how much I enjoyed the original short stories in here. Her Ariadne and the Minotaur retelling, for which the anthology is named, was wonderfully atmospheric and compelling, and I would not be opposed at all to a full-length retelling someday. Castle Courlieu was another excellent one that had me on the edge of my seat during my whole plane ride. The final tale in the collection, The Long Way Round, was quite fun even to someone who usually hates seafaring adventures, and I look forward to seeing where Novik takes this story and its setting in the future.

As with all short story collections, some fell flat. Her Roman Empire Temaire story would likely resonate most with fans of her existing series, but otherwise was rather plain. I also didn't love her Irene Adler retelling and found that her Lawrence of Arabia retelling had great potential that wasn't fully executed.

After reading this collection, I might just have to go back and reread some more of my Novik favorites!

Buried Deep and Other Stories is a great read for fans of Naomi Novik! This collection of short stories was different from anything else of hers that I have read, and it was nice to have little snippets of different universes. As a huge fan of the Scholomance series, my favorite story was the one set in that universe. Getting to have a glimpse as to what is happening after the end of that series was a real treat. Overall, this collection made me want to pick up other books from Novik, so I did purchase the first of the Temeraire novels after reading this! I can't wait to get started on it!

Such a great collection of short stories from familiar series and mythology as well as new insights and tales.
Naomi Novik is one of my favorite authors because she delivers complex and meaningful tales that reach the core of humanity.
And I loved revisiting familiar worlds and entering new ones.

This short story collection once again solidified Naomi Novik as one of my favorite fantasy authors.

This book is full of stories, both related to her existing works and completely separate. Some of these stories have inspired me to read her backlist, and others have me waiting with bated breath for her next book! And, of course, mixed in are some beautiful standalone stories with compelling themes and characters.

I would highly recommend reading this collection, especially if you’ve read some of Novik’s previous works and and want to see her authorial voice in other contexts. Some stories are better than others, but they all create magical worlds in such short spans of time. 4 stars

This is my first Naomi Novik short fiction collection, having somehow missed the Temeraire collection Golden Age and Other Stories. For anyone who has read a lot of Novik, nothing in this collection will especially come as a surprise. Most everything is playing in the same conceptual spaces as her novels, which of course is inevitable for those stories set in the same universes as those novels (or, especially, the story "Spinning Silver," which was the embryo of the novel of the same name). Of particular note is the story "Dragons and Decorum," which imagines a certain Captain Elizabeth Bennet of the Royal Dragon Corps or whatever, and is the most "ah yes this author wrote a series of Napoleonic War+Dragons novels and also founded Archive of Our Own" story imaginable.

So, enjoyable (if you like Naomi Novik generally) but not breaking any new ground, especially, even the new story "The Long Way Round," which is set in the world of the current novel Novik is working on but is another fantasy-seafaring kind of jaunt. Not sure if it's another "Spinning Silver"-type prologue or a standalone work in the same setting, but it's got my interest.

To the Hugo voters out there, in addition to "The Long Way Round" there is another new piece of short fiction in here called "After Hours" set in the Scholomance universe (but after the events of the novels, so it's a little reliant on what came before). Enjoyable and might end up on my ballot if for no other reason than I have a hard time coming across nominatable short fiction in any given year, not reading any of the big magazines.

Buried Deep and Other Stories by Naomi Novik is a collection of thirteen short stories that span the different worlds of her works and includes a sneak peek at the world of her next novel. I received an early copy for review from the publisher thorough Netgalley. I've been a fan of Naomi Novik's work for years though this is the first book I've read in a long time and which has inspired me to finally read more of her works. Overall I greatly enjoyed this work and I will be going through each story individually

Araminta, or, The Wreck of the Amphidrake is a take on regency romance novels. We follow Lady Araminta who is being sent off to be married off but she is not interested in marriage. To protect herself she is gifted with a amulet that turns her into a man and she uses this when the ship she is on is attacked. An interesting take on Pirates and romance but not my favorite story.

After Hours is a story set in the Scholomance world but doesn't follow the characters from that series. We follow Beata in her first year at the school on a night that she decides to sneak out in attempt to take better supplies from the communal supplies as first year students never get the best stuff. We also learn about her conflict with her roommate Jayne and how dangerous the school can be especially at night. This is a good introduction to the Scholomance if you haven't read any before.

Vici is a story set in the Temeraire Universe but during Roman times and how Antonius who is a conman ends up with a dragon. He eventually gets sent to Gaul as owning a dragon is a problem for the magistrate and end up fighting with Julius Cesar. This story lays the ground work for how dragons are part of the military with the Temeraire Universe.

Buried Deep is a story about the Labyrinth and Ariadne dancing on the ground where the Labyrinth exists. A retelling of the story of the Minotaur but focuses more on family and the relationship between the Minotaur and Ariadne.

Spinning Silver is the short story that eventually spun into the novel of the same name and there is overlap in this story but you can see where the novel goes into more detail. We follow Miryem the daughter of a moneylender who is not very good at his job. When Miryem realizes that her family is suffering she takes over her father’s job and excels at it. Eventually, she meets a Staryk who wants her to turn silver into gold. Through Miryem's cleverness and business savvy she is able to accomplish this and Staryk that she would be better as his banker instead of his queen.

Commonplaces is a story about Irene Adler finding out that Sherlock Holmes has died at the Reichenbach Falls and her actions following getting this information. Quick story for fans of Sherlock Holmes and would be more enjoyable if you have recently read those stories.

Seven is an interesting story about a city called Seven that has seven statues and how those statues are created. We follow Kath who learned how to make pottery from her husband and is continuing to do so to feed her family even though she wasn't properly trained. She eventually is tasked with building a new statue when one of them breaks but the clay used often kills those who work with it.

Blessings is a fairytale about what are the best blessings one could get from fairies and Madga who is given the gift of strength and how that changes her story. Very short but an interesting take on princesses being gifted blessings by the fairies at the beginning of their tales.

Lord Dunsany's Teapot is about a teapot that is used in the trenches of World War I and how it ends up keeping some of the soldiers’ safe during this time. Very short but not a story that I was expecting as someone who has researched World War I.

Seven Years from Home is the only story that I didn't enjoy. This is more of a science fiction story than fantasy and if I had read it alone I might have liked it more. Written in first person we follow the account of a researcher who wants to learn more about a specific alien group. I only skimmed this story so I don’t' feel like I can say more than that just I think how the story was told made me not want to finish it.

Dragons & Decorum is a Pride & Prejudice retelling set in the world of Temeraire following Captain Elizabeth Bennet and her dragon Wollstonecraft. I'm not a huge fan of Pride & Prejudice but I felt that this was a unique take as Darcy doesn't know that Elizabeth is a Captain until near the end of the story.

Castle Coeurlieu is a story set during the Black Plague. We follow Isabeau who has recently married and lives in the country side with the son of her husband. On the land is a tower that has many stories and rumors about it and how it may be magical. She ends up in the tower one night when she shouldn't be but is able to save the son. Interesting take on stories influenced by the events of the Black Plague and the stories that were written at that time.

The Long Way Round is a sneak peek into the world that Naomi Novik's next book is set in. We follow siblings Tess and Aston who are sailors and ship builders on a quest to sail the long way around the land verses what is considered the safest route. As they attempt this journey they end up find new locations and how those they meet along the way change their future. Story about family and the family you build along the way. I'm interested in where Naomi Novik plans to take this story/world in the future.

Being the first Naomi Novik book I've read, I thought it was nice to get various snippets of her writing style with the different stories. It definitely makes me want to pick up her other books.

This was a captivating collection of short stories that transports readers to both comfortingly familiar and wildly new places. I really enjoyed being able to step into these fantasy world without that time commitment usually required for fantasy. Novik’s introductions to each story added insightful depth that made them more enjoyable. As someone that doesn’t tend to enjoy the classics like Pride and Prejudice, Novik was able to write a version that I found very engaging and actually thoroughly enjoyed.

The quality of these stories was all over the place. I actually only liked three of them and even then, one was super weak and jumped around. Also, starting with the very dated pirate story at the beginning was not a great choice. I very nearly stopped reading right then and there.

Buried Deep and Other Stories is a collection of thirteen short stories by Naomi Novik. Most of the stories were previously published elsewhere, but there are a few new ones as well. I loved Novik’s Scholomance series as well as Uprooted and Spinning Silver, but I’ve never read her short form work so I was excited to dig into this one.

This collection took hold of me from the Author’s Note. I always find short story collections tricky to review, so I’ll provide thoughts about the ones that stood out to me.

First, the familiar worlds.

After Hours: This is a lovely short story set after the conclusion of the Scholomance trilogy. I really enjoyed meeting a different type of witch, and I loved her mushroom magic and old-world forest vibes. I think that this resonated extra because I’ve read the trilogy, and it felt so sweet and nostalgic to be back in the school.

Spinning Silver: This made me want to re-read the full length novel! It was so interesting to see where the story began and pick up on changes and differences between the shorter beginning and the novel. I think the alternate ending really worked here to make the story feel complete.

Vici and Dragons & Decorum: I was worried I would be lost because I haven’t read the Temeraire series, but I found both of these utterly charming. The dragons have such a unique energy to them compared to other fantasy settings. I’m still not certain if I’ll pick up the series after reading these, but I’m definitely intrigued.

Onto the unfamiliar.

Buried Deep: I love a myth retelling, and this one really pulled at the heartstrings. This is a retelling of Ariadne and the Minotaur.

Seven: This is one of my favorites of the collection. I kept wishing it was longer, and that she would turn it into a full standalone. The world is so well built that it seems the city is real, and the characters are so wonderful. I have so many questions still, but I fear it will be spoilers to ask them here, so instead I will wait and hope that we get to go back to Seven someday.

Lord Dunsany’s Teapot: This story really showcases Novik’s strengths. It’s got war, magic, and friendship that could potentially also have been love. (Maybe I read too much into it, but it felt so queer to me). I loved the ending of this one, especially since it felt like it had less of a cliff-hanger than many of the rest of the stories in the collection.

Seven Years From Home: I found this one very reminiscent of Ursula K. Le Guin’s “The Word For World Is Forest” but with more bioengineering. I liked this, but I spent perhaps too much time puzzling over the pre-story note and trying to see where the narrator was being unreliable, and I think that distracted me from being immersed in the story.

Castle Courlieu: As with Spinning Silver and Uprooted, here we have a young woman in the middle ages, this time during the Black Plague. This one feels closer to a horror story than many of the others, and I appreciated the tense energy around the dark mysterious tower. I really enjoy this type of story, and like Seven I think it could have been fleshed out to be a standalone or a longer novella.

The Long Way Round: This story is from the world of Novik’s upcoming epic fantasy series. It follows a sister and brother on a sea-faring adventure to sail the long way around the continent, but they find many things they didn’t expect on their way. I love the idea that this is part of the process of building the world for the upcoming series, but I also loved this all on its own as well. The characters are so compelling, and the dynamic between the siblings was divine. I will be eagerly anticipating the series until it comes out!

Overall, I enjoyed the collection and I would recommend it to anyone, but especially to readers of Novik’s other works.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine / Del Rey for sending me this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I wasn’t as smart as Micky to only pick favourites as I found them and by the time I’d gone halfway through with note taking I was already committed. Also, I really overestimated how many selections were in this anthology of short stories. Which I guess is a good thing, something for everyone and many different flavours of somethings. So let’s break it down.

ARAMINTA, OR, THE WRECK OF THE AMPHIDRAKE : This was something of a queer pirate story complete with magical discuss and monsters. It was an interesting concept but I didn’t really get invested. <b>2.5 stars</b>.

AFTER HOURS : I certainly expected a <i>Scholomance</i> story in here and I’m hoping there might be more than one because while this was a fun glimpse of life at the school post-series events, with even a little cameo from a certain hero!, I want moooore. <b>3 stars</b>.
Spoiler alert : there were no more <i>Scholomance</i> stories.

VICI : Having not read any of the <i>Temeraire</i> books (I know I know) my knowledge of the world is vague and limited to dragons. This was a good little taste though and definitely has re-ignited my intrigue to get to this series one day. <b>3 stars</b>.

BURIED DEEP : I was struggling over whether I liked this one or not and then by the time I came back to this review I couldn’t even remember which one it was. Maybe the Minotaur story? Either way, lack of memory says it all. <b>2 stars</b>.

SPINNING SILVER : If you’ve read the novel of the same name you know this story.. but maybe not the ending! I maybe actually liked it more than the full-length? <b>3 stars</b>.

COMMONPLACES : I absolutely did not expect anything Holmes-centric from this collection but even more so it’s Irene Adler who takes the stage. Would absolutely read more of this. <b>4 stars</b>.

SEVEN : I want MORE of this!! This is about claymaking and curses and sacrifice and selfishness and art. The ending is so unsatisfying mostly because it’s over so soon. But this was so interesting. <b>4 stars</b>.

BLESSINGS : Oh noOoo I’m a broken record because this is another that is way too short when in fact it deserves to be extra long. Absolutely would read pages and pages more of this overly blessed woman’s journey. <b>4 stars</b>.

LORD DUNSANY'S TEAPOT : I can sorta go either way on this one. I like the concept of storytelling and fantasy and hope in such a grim and hopeless setting but that’s all I really got from it. <b>2.5 stars</b>.

SEVEN YEARS FROM GOME : This was one that sadly inspired a bit of skimming at certain points just because I sort’ve wasn’t following things anyway. Near the end it was giving <i>Ferngully</i> and <i>Avatar</i> vibes but that’s all I’m really taking from the experience. <b>2 stars</b>.

DRAGONS & DECORUM : A PRIDE & PREJUDICE retelling with, you guessed it, dragons! This was super cute. <b>4 stars</b>.

CASTLE COEURLIEU : I find myself rather confused by this one. I sorta get it but I sorta don’t. It gives medieval and plague and knights and fates and while I love all that I obviously didn’t love this. <b>2.5 stars</b>.

THE LONG WAY AROUND : This is apparently a taste, or at least a vibe?, of Novik’s upcoming story. I enjoyed some aspects of this world, it is very sea-faring-leaning with a side of unexplored land long abandoned by unknowns and magic wielders who sorta rule the particular town we’re based in and the people who live there. I don’t quite know how I felt about dynamics that were set-up by the end but let’s be real I’ll be picking up whatever Novik comes out with next and apparently it’ll be something like this! <b>3 stars</b>.

If you do math (gross) I think this averages out to almost a perfect 3 however I’m going to be generous and round this up because I did enjoy the experience even if I didn’t love all the stories themselves. But the ones I did like are definitely worth it.

3.5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc<3

If you have read and enjoyed Novik’s novels, you will enjoy this short story collection. Some of these stories take place in universes already created by the author, while others have been featured in separate anthologies already published. I have read Uprooted and The Scholomance trilogy from Novik and really enjoy her storytelling and world building so it was no surprise that I had a fun time reading smaller scale works from her.
Some of my favorites were:

“After Hours” (this took place in The Scholomance universe and seeing Orion again made my heart full)

“Buried Deep” (this one is my favorite of them all)

“Spinning Silver” (I definitely want to read the book now)

“Seven” (“I’m making a thing out of the bones of the dead, and if it lives again, it’s only because someone living loves it, even if it’s just me myself” -favorite quote)

“The Long Way Round”

This was a delightful collection of shorts from Naomi Novik. I’ve not yet had a chance to read any of her other books, and this was a great entree to her work. It was a diverse collection of stories in setting and tone, but there was a through line of female characters who are smart, savvy, and eminently practical. The writing is smart and humorous. I didn’t feel that every story was fully baked, but hey—that’s the point of short stories! They’re more for an exploration of an idea or the seed of a character. The stories were so engaging, and now I have her other books on my TBR.

20 years ago, I loved this author's work. I was disappointed in Spinning Silver and Uprooted, and not remotely interested in their Scholomance series. I thought this might be a nice way to test the waters. However, almost all the stories in this collection are older and have been previously published in various collections or periodicals. A few are closely related to the author's previous series and rely on the reader already knowing that universe's organization.

Strictly for fans of the author. The two stories related to the Temeraire universe don't contain spoilers and don't need to be read in any kind of order. I skipped the story related to the other series, as it doesn't make sense on it's own. The final story, which is new and which the author hints might expand into a full book or series, is the highlight.

eARC from NetGalley.