
Member Reviews

Her brother, her little brother, had pulled his hand out of hers and gone down into the dark to save her life, and she hadn't run down the hill shouting, begging a shepherd, a priest, a rich man for help.
So it was her lie, too. She was in the lie, and the lie was in her, and the lie couldn't go any further into the dark. ['Buried Deep': loc. 1444]
Like many collections of short stories, this selection of Novik's shorter work is interesting because of the author's introductions to each story, as well as for the stories themselves. There's a cautionary note in the Introduction, though: "only the stories themselves can tell you what I was thinking".
The stories range widely, from an after-dark adventure at an alternate Scholomance to a Pride and Prejudice-flavoured novella set in the world of Temeraire: there's a story about medieval Europe that's inspired by Barbara Tuchman's A Distant Mirror, and the original novella which grew into Spinning Silver. 'Seven Years from Home', the most science-fictional of the tales, reminded me of Le Guin, while the title story is a dark meditation on the myth of Ariadne and the minotaur. I greatly enjoyed the piratical 'Araminta, or, the Wreck of the Amphidrake', with its Amulet of Tiresias: and 'The Long Way Round', which is set in the world of the novel she's working on now, piqued my interest.
While the mood and style varies from story to story. There are often queer characters, often women who are coping with difficult or lonely situations (very few of these stories are romances in the conventional sense), and often a sense of revolution or change. While I've read some of the stories before, it was very interesting to immerse myself in this book and appreciate the breadth of Novik's interests and of her style. Definitely worth reading, and rereading.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the advance review copy, in exchange for this full honest review. UK Publication Date is 17 SEP 2024.

Buried Deep by Naomi Novik is an entrancing series of short stories that explore old worlds including Temeraire and Scholomance to new worlds that Novik is currently exploring. I love the idea of Novik kitted out in explorer gear as she steps into newly undiscovered fantasy worlds.
I’m a bit mixed when it comes to anthologies and short story collections, often finding they can be a mixed delight of beautiful gems and fools gold, however, in thus case I was enthralled and truly captivated by the breadth of work, with favourites including Temeraire meets Pride and Prejudice, the Scholomance tale and the concluding tale that lifted the curtain slightly on Novik’s upcoming work.
I was intrigued by the distinction between the stories, each with its own voice, some loquacious, other fleeting in telling but, thought provoking and all intriguing. Overall a fine collection that I will ve happy to include on my shelves and read again.
Thank you Random House U.K. Cornerstone and NetGalley for the arc in exchange for my honest and sincere review.

I recently finished reading "Buried Deep," an enthralling assortment of short stories by Naomi Novik, which are set in the same captivating worlds as her full novels.
I just completed a collection of short stories that I found truly intriguing. This book includes a variety of tales that would captivate any fan of Naomi Novik's work. I particularly enjoyed the Temeraire meets Pride and Prejudice short story, as it offered a fresh perspective on Elizabeth Bennett.
On the whole, every story was captivating. However, I did find that a couple of them seemed to end abruptly, lacking proper resolution. It would have been more satisfying if these stories were expanded upon to provide a more conclusive ending. For instance, the Tower of Couerlieu and the claymaker stories both held my interest but had somewhat weak endings. Nonetheless, I still believe that the book is well worth reading.
The final story was the standout for me. It provided a captivating glimpse into the world of Novik's forthcoming novel, featuring ships, a prodigy, a sorcerer, and an abandoned world. I am eagerly anticipating its release and looking forward to delving even deeper into that fascinating universe.
#NaomiNovik #ShortStories #LiteraryWorlds #FantasyFiction #BookLovers #CaptivatingTales #NovelTeaser #ImmersiveReading #EnchantingUniverse #MustRead

Overall a really great collection of short stories! It was exciting to have new short stories set in the Scholomance and Spinning Silver worlds, but I also really enjoyed many of the other pieces that were brand new to me, particularly Seven which was my favourite.

Definitely worth reading if you are a fan of Naomi Novik, I enjoyed most of them but some were significantly better than others.
This is a good way to experience some of her other worlds, I’ve previously loved the Scholomance books and am now really excited to delve into the Temeraire novels.
An absolutely fantastic author.

Buried Deep is a collection of thirteen incredibly wide-ranging stories with such a mix of settings. From futuristic alien civilisations, to stories set in Naomi Novik's beloved Scholomance and Temeraire worlds, to twists on well known characters like Sherlock Holmes, this collection jumps all over the place. All of them were beautifully written with great world building crammed into few words. Some of them I loved, others hooked me in less, but always there was another story in just a few pages to dive into. Favourites for me included returning to the Scholomance in After Hours, the wildly unusual Seven Years From Home set on an alien planet, and the Pride and Prejudice retelling (with dragons!) Dragons and Decorum.
For quite a few of these stories the introduction stated that they were previously in other anthologies, but all but one were new to me. It may be worth checking the list of short stories though if you're a prolific anthology reader.

I've been A Naomi Novik fan since the early days of the Temeraire series and I have loved everything she has written since then so series of short stories based or her work as well as some new ones was a great deal of fun and I loved every single story.

In this collection of short stories, Naomi Novik revisits the settings of some of her novels and sets the scene for new adventures. We are treated, among others, to a short story set after the events of the Scholomance series, an initial version of the events in Spinning Silver, a Minotaur/Ariadne retelling, and a glimpse into the universe of her upcoming book. My favourite story was her retelling of Pride and Prejudice with dragons!
A recommended read for fans of Naomi Novik and retellings with a fantasy twist.
Thank you to Netgalley and Random House UK for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

𝗕𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗱 𝗗𝗲𝗲𝗽 • 𝗡𝗮𝗼𝗺𝗶 𝗡𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗸
★★★★
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗧𝗼 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁
- Fantasy anthology
- Established worlds and new worlds
- Fairytale-esque stories
- Pirates, dragons, reimagined characters, wars, the scholomance, alien civilization, & more
𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀
Buried Deep is a fantastical and ambitious anthology that brings into focus the reason Naomi Novik’s writing is beloved by readers so much.
Not only are readers treated to glorious glimpses of world building already established by Novik—such as the Scholomance, a magical boarding school with plucky students and hungry beasts, Temeraire (which I have not read but am now tempted to pick up), and a brief version of Spinning Silver which I am head over heels in love with. But readers are also treated to a glimpse of a new world in the short story ‘Long Way Around’ that Novik is currently building and seems to be a seafaring adventure with a trademark fierce female protagonist at its helm.
Similarly, readers are introduced to old characters of Novik’s creation (Miryem, a glimpse of Orion Lake), reimagined characters (Mark Antony, Irene Adler with Sherlock Holmes, Elizabeth Bennett and Mr Darcy), and new characters (Lady Amarinta and Tessa being a new favourite of mine).
Its safe to say I adored many of these stories with my favourites being Spinning Silver, After Hours, Vici, Dragons & Decorum, and The Long Way Around. Whilst the alien civilization story (Seven Years From Home) wasn’t entirely my cup of tea, I could still appreciate the imagination put into it and the beauty of the writing.
I am such a huge fan of Naomi Novik, and this anthology reminds me why.
𝗤𝘂𝗼𝘁𝗲𝘀
“𝘎𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘴 𝘪𝘵.”

I was really disappointed by this offering of rehashed themes from both the writing of Naomi Novak and other works that appeal to her. I felt like I was either reading something I had read before or something that held no real appeal to me because they did not compare to the writings if this author. The whole thing was hard work and only made me think that the author might simply be putting something out there for the sake of it - her name will of course sell books regardless of their intrinsic value. Personally I would rather have waited for a new original work.

I both like collections of short stories and hate them. I like that I can pick it up and read an entire story in one sitting but for the really good ones, I want them to go on much longer and be a novel. I did enjoy most of these stories by Naomi Novik, my favorite being the one called Folly and I really can't wait till she finishes fleshing out that world into a full novel! I also enjoyed the shorter version of Spinning Silver though I am now going to be reading the full novel of that (such a good story!). My other two favorite stories were Seven Years (which was so intriguing and a bit sad about the war between the two races on that planet) and Araminta (who is a totally awesome character and I would love to get the full story on her adventures after she gets the freedom she desired and that ship).
The other stories which touched on her other series (Scholomance, and the dragons) were nice little forays into those worlds and also fun to read. I do admire Naomi Novik as a most excellent author and will happily read anything she writes.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book to read and review! It was much enjoyed!

A collection of short stories by fantasy author Naomi Novik. If you’re a Novik super fan I think you’ll really like this. If you’re not super familiar with the author’s work you may struggle.
To me short stories are an art form. They require giving a lot of context and information in a limited form. When this is done well it’s amazing and when it’s not it’s not. In my opinion this book is a mixed bag of exactly that.
The stories I really enjoyed were: ‘Spinning Silver’, ‘Seven Years from Home’ and ‘Dragons and Decorum’. I can particularly see why ‘Spinning Silver’ emerged as a novel following this short story (and one I am very likely to read). ‘Dragons and Decorum’ was a fun take on Austen’s ‘Pride and Prejudice’ where Lizzy B is a Dragon rider. Wonderfully absurd? Yes. Did it cover all the main points of the original novel in MUCH LESS TIME? Also yes.
Other stories I struggled with. There were some where I genuinely struggled to establish what was going on. And in other cases, including ‘Dragons and Decorum’, it requires pre-knowledge of the source material on the part of the reader. If you’re fairly engaged in literature, you’ll of course know of Lizzy Bennett and Irene Adler but I don’t know how fair that is in short story form. There are some stories based on Novik’s other work too, which you need to have read the books to make sense of.
I like this author but I’m not a super fan, therefore I don’t think this was aimed at me. If you are a big fan, I think you’ll love it.
Thank you #netgalley for my #arc

This is a truly enjoyable collection of short fantasy stories. Novak sets many of her stories in worlds her fans will be familiar with, but the stories themselves are self-contained. In tone they vary from cosy to unsettling, and most centre around female protagonists of various ages. Some are mood pieces but there are also plenty of active stories.
The quality of these stories is very high - even ones that I was initially uninterested in mostly ended up grabbing me by the time I finished them. Novak evokes a great sense of place in her different worlds, and her character sketches are compelling. My favourite story is a poignant retelling of Ariadne and the Minotaur (the titular 'Buried Deep'), but it is closely followed by a brilliant standalone pirate story that confidently opens the collection. It's also nice that Novak includes a note before each story explaining its genesis or the reason for inclusion.
I have very little negative to say about this book. The only real downer is that the last story is unfinished - it is meant to be a glimpse of a work in progress, but it is polished enough that I was disappointed when the book ended without the story being resolved. I think it would make more sense to put that one earlier in the collection and finish with a strong complete story. Nonetheless, I highly recommend this collection to fantasy fans, particularly people who already enjoy Novak's work.
Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Lots of interesting stories here - an interesting mixed bag of tales that any fan of Naomi Novik will love to read. There are some familiar worlds and characters - my favourite being the Temeraire meets Pride and Prejudice short story. Elizabeth Bennett as you have never seen her! Every story was interesting and compelling although one or two seemed to just fade away at the end without a proper resolution and I felt if they had had space to be longer we would have got a better, more satisfying ending (such as the Tower of Couerlieu and the claymaker stories - both were spellbinding but had weak endings). A minor point as this book of short stories is well worth reading!

Buried Deep is a lovely, engaging collection of short stories set in the various worlds of Naomi Novik’s full novels, and I am such a fan of those novels that I didn’t hesitate for one second before I requested this from Netgalley.
I think it definitely helped to have read Novik's other writing, I am not sure how well the stories would sit without at least a basic awareness of the background to them, but they worked perfectly for me. I particularly enjoyed the two tales set in the Temeraire world - the homage to Pride and Prejudice with a romantic-minded novel-reading dragon was my favourite overall I think, although I also really liked the Regency pirate queen... I may have a thing for books set on boats, as well as with dragons.
I loved the last story: a tantalising glimpse into the world of her next novel, with ships, a genius, a sorcerer and an abandoned world. I'm really looking forward to reading it.

Love love love Naomi and her books. This was a masterclass in her story writing and I loved it. Not all stories were for me but the really good ones were amazing! Loved it!

As with all books of short stories you will have your favourites and ones your not so keen on. Having read most of Naomi Noviks books my favourites were the ones that linked to her previous work. I loved the scholomance story and could happily read a whole book of schlomamce shorts.
I enjoyed this book , not as much as some of her others but it was still a good read.

I came into this as a fan of Naomi Novik but not a huge lover of short story collections, as I usually only end up enjoying one or two in a collection. Thankfully, I enjoyed the majority of the stories in this collection, with only a few of the shorter stories feeling a bit filler-y (but maybe that's my preference for longer stories coming through).
The collection includes everything you would expect from Novik: great writing, dragons, mythology, interesting heroines and tales of adventure and seeking your destiny.
There are two Temeraire-related stories: one set in Roman times and another that is a retelling of Pride & Prejudice with Lizzie Bennet as a Captain in the Aerial Corps (one of my favourites from the collection). There's also a new post-Golden Enclaves Scholomance story that left me wanting more and the original short story version of Spinning Silver.
I think the rest aren't connected to her other works. Of these, my favourites were: Seven about a city with master sculptors and deadly clay, Seven Years From Home - a scifi with an avatar-y (the blue alien kind) environmental edge, and Buried Deep - a retelling of Ariadne and the Minotaur.
A really great short story collection that works for fans of Naomi Novik and also as an introduction to her writing

So this is only the second time I've ever read a short story anthology, I don't tend to gravitate towards them (no idea why), but it's Naomi Novik, so there was no chance I was passing on this, especially when we get an insight into the world of her next series. It's the perfect blend of stories for fans of her previous series, as well as readers just looking for some fantastical short stories, and I enjoyed seeing Novik's take on some well known stories, as much as reading the ones that simply popped out of her imagination.
Lovers of her previous work will enjoy the dip we get into the Scholomance with, After Hours, set after the ending of the series which did spoil it for me, but it's my own fault for not getting around to reading it sooner. She also gives us a shorter, more clipped version of Spinning Silver, which I think I may have preferred to the original. And she dives into the world of Temeraire with, Vici, showing Antonius of Rome as the first Dragon Rider. But I think my favourite's of all the stories was Dragons & Decorum, a re-telling of Pride and Prejudice where Elizabeth Bennet is a dragon rider and Mr Darcy is still an absolute simp for her. P&P is an all time favourite of mine and I loved the fantasy spin Novik put on it, while still keeping true to the time and the characters. Also, Seven which is incredibly hard to describe but it was filled to the brim with world building and and gave me an almost unsettled feeling whilst reading (in the best way obviously)
The stories range in length, some reading more like novellas than short stories, but it features stories for those who love a character driven plot, as well as ones that feature a little more action, stories filled with humour and others with a slightly more horrific spin, and Novik manages to set the tone of each masterfully with her writing style which changes effortlessly to fit the tone of the story.
Did I love all of the stories, no. I imagine most anthologies come with a tale or two some readers don't gel with. There were some I desperately wanted to be longer like, Blessings, which is about a family of middling standing who invite fairies to their daughters party and chaos ensues, and others like the anthologies namesake Buried Deep that I struggled my way through. But right at the end she graces us with a look into her next series with, The Long Way Round, which instantly caught my attention & was filled with some truly epic worldbuilding, characters I instantly bonded with and a story shrouded in an eerie kind of mystery that I am desperate to read more about.
All in all I did enjoy this one, especially the little nods to the authors previous series. I'm still not convinced anthologies are for me, but I'm really glad I gave this one a read and can't wait for Novik to grace us with her next fantasy novel.

This is without a doubt a collection of short stories that has something for everyone. Yes most have been previously available in other anthologies but here the author also gifts us with a new glimpse into her Scholomance world were things that go bump in the night are anything but imaginary and also quite a good introduction into a new fantasy world that her muse has conjured up. I do think fans of her fairytale type stories will be pleased by content here and if it’s Dragons you crave then prepare to smile not at one story but two ! I particularly enjoyed the quick to the point introductions the author gives as it opens the readers eyes to some of the thoughts and process behind her writing. With brief salutes to literary heroes this was magical and definitely something I will recommend particularly if you enjoy your heroes with a feminine twist !
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair