4.5 rounded up. Overall a really strong collection of short stories. I'm reminded again of how much I love Novik's writing because these stories span a whole range of lengths, genres, characters, etc but each pulled me in, in their own way.

The below on individual stories are just my notes typed up as I went along:

Araminta - LOVED THIS, it felt very in the style of regency writing, the matter of fact tone of those sensible heroines, moments of both subtle and unsubtle wit. The moment where she plays cards to fuck the pirate captain made me laugh out loud

Scholomance - a fun little story that enriches the world! Not sure how much sense it would make without prior Scholomance knowledge but I enjoyed it

Vici - I loved the lassaiz-faire, irreverent tone of this! Vici is adorable and I hope Antony treats her well forever

Buried Deep - oh this is everything I love about Novik's writing in a completely different way to the story before. Perfect fairytale vibes - slightly hazy, slightly horror, slightly mysterious, slightly sad. It sure made me feel some kind of way.

Spinning Silver - I read the novel ages ago so while I remembered the rough story, this felt completely fresh. It works so well as a short story!

Commonplace - not my favourite of the stories, likely because I would imagine a very different Irene Adler story myself

Seven - slightly eerie but Kath's practicality was also delightful at the same time. I kept hoping for it to continue - I think this was a concept that could have filled a whole novel

Blessings - so short! but the first half especially was so well done, again I feel like this could have been the beginning of a much longer story

Lord Dunsany's teapot - oof. A lovely but sad story.

Seven Years - my god I LOVED this one. It's one of the longer stories and it's capital S capital F Sci Fi. I really had to go back to the beginning to read it a second time with the full understanding of what was going on gleaned from the first read but what a lush piece of world building from Naomi Novik it was

Pride and prejudice and dragons -
A fun alternate P&P where Elizabeth gets her cake and eats it, admittedly didn't hit me as hard as I thought this one would

Castle Courlieu - I thought this was reminiscent of an old fairytale - slightly fantastical, a little horror, bittersweet

The Long way around - this was a little slow going to start, and I personally don't care for stories about sailing or being at sea. However, I did love the way it all pulled together!

A solid 4-stars.
Buried Deep is a collection of 13 short stories belonging to various genres and touching upon various themes.
Novik’s craft is awesome.
My favourite stories in this collection were After Hours, Seven, Spinning Sliver, Blessings and Dragons and Decorum. 5/5 for each.
The other stories were a varying of enjoyment 2-4 stars.
Characterisation 5/5 (for most of the stories)

So unfortunately this book did not hit my fairytale short story or reimagined flipped tales vibe at all.

Although Novaks writing is beautiful, way they describe even eating or just waking is a pleasure to read. It just fell flat, I read most of the short story’s and I was bored , so very bored nothing gripped me.

I’m sad that I didn’t like this as her writing is normally no touching and expressive. I just didn’t feel much or anything from this book . It felt more like essays or personal writing.

Thanks though nice to try something different

Naomi Novik really has a way with words so while short story compilations usually aren't my thing, I jumped at the chance to read this and it did not disappoint.

Buried Deep and Other Stories is a mix of old and new and really shows the breadth of Novik's work and how her words are magic no matter the story she weaves. Uprooted is one of my favourite stories of all time and while I could not finish Spinning Silver, I still appreciated the craftsmanship of the story. That essence is captured neatly in this collection. There are some stories that are deeply intriguing, and others that I didn't regret reading but I am unlikely to want to read again.

My only real complaint about this book is that there are stories set in the worlds of her existing series and while some ('Vici') require no prior knowledge, there were others ('After Hours') that felt like I'd started a story halfway through. I appreciate why they have been included, but they were featured quite early on and it did give the collection the vibe from the outset that it was perhaps geared towards fans of her older work, which is absolutely not the case.

It's hard to define who to recommend this book to. If you are a fan of her previous work you will enjoy revisiting some worlds. If you've never read her work it gives a good overview of exactly what she is capable of, and is a great stepping off point into her many worlds.

I liked this collection of short stories. I’m a fan of Naomi Novik’s books Uprooted and Spinning Silver so was excited to get an introduction into some of her other worlds. Some of the stories weren’t my type, but the majority of them I found enjoyable. I actually really liked the first story in the collection- a pirate themed tale with a kick ass female lead. I also really liked the little introduction written by the author in front of each story and would be keen to hear more about her writing processes.

Naomi Novik is genuinely one of my favourite authors! I have fallen in love with her writing style and ability to spin a magical story every time.

Each short story was incredibly rich and fantastical in the best way. It was amazing to get to revisit so many of her previous worlds. From Greeks and Romans, to pirates and dragons and getting to return to the Scholomance - this was so much fun! If all of that wasn’t enough to convince you to read this collection, then know there is a Pride & Prejudice retelling with dragons.

I absolutely adored this anthology!

Like with all short story collection, not all short stories are equal. There are some gems in this win and I enjoyed it.

3.5 stars
I'll be real - short story collections are not often my thing. However, I really enjoyed Naomi Novik's Scholomance series as well as Spinning Silver and so I was excited to delve into more of her work in Buried Deep.

The collection is so varied, with fairytale retellings, reimaginings of myth, mini episodes from her full length novels, and even stories inspired by history. I also loved the explanation that came before each tale, as it gives some interesting insight into the background of the writing.

These stories showcase the dark and fantastical worlds of Novik so well, and they capture your imagination time and again. I was especially impressed by After Hours, Commonplaces, and Seven. Each is so rich and absorbing, and I found myself mesmerized by the worlds within despite how brief they lasted.

That's the thing with most short stories though - I don't want them to end. I wanted to follow Beata even longer and see what the school is like since El and Orion purged the Mals. I wanted to observe Irene Adler's relationship with Holmes for a few more days. I wanted to learn the secrets of the white clay.

There were a few stories I dragged myself through as well. Araminta took me ages to really warm up to as the tone is so serious and dry, and the narrator of Seven Years From Home felt stilted and verbose (like a nineteenth century lady of standing who is writing to her great aunt) which had me disconnecting early on. Luckily, the plot carried me through both, but I felt the characters and atmosphere didn't quite match up in in the same way her other stories achieve.

Overall, a great book for those who already are fans of Novik or who want an introduction to her work. It's magical but grimly realistic, and will have you craving more.

I requested this collection SO FAST because I knew it had a Scholomance story in it, but I really should have stopped to reflect on my mixed experiences with Naomi Novik's writing so far. While I adored Spinning Silver and, obviously, the Scholomance series, I had very mixed feelings about Uprooted and couldn't finish the first Temeraire novel. My reactions to Buried Deep, therefore, should be taken with a pinch of salt if you're an across-the-board Novik fan. I really struggled with the first half of this collection and considered abandoning it. The aforementioned Scholomance story, 'After Hours', was good, but felt a bit like middle-grade Scholomance, given the changes that have taken place in the institution since El's days. The others.... A couple were too silly for me ('Araminta', female pirate wish-fulfilment, and 'Vici', Temeraire offshoot set in classical Rome). The Spinning Silver story is just an alternate version of the opening of the novel, so added nothing. 'Commonplace' did not work for me at all, though admittedly it's about Irene Adler and I'm not a Sherlock Holmes fan. Then we got to 'Buried Deep', a retelling of the Minotaur myth that I plain hated - I'm out of patience for classical retellings anyway, and for me this completely missed what I love about the story by making the Minotaur misunderstood.

But then! We get to the second half of the collection, and things really picked up. I enjoyed 'Seven', with reservations - it gave me flashbacks to the binary gender roles in Uprooted, with the woman artist who is connected to the world and loves her children versus the selfish, obsessive male artist - but the worldbuilding is beautiful. 'Lord Dunsany's Teapot' was eerie and gorgeous, 'Blessings' fun, and very reminiscent of Robin McKinley's Spindle's End, which is no surprise as McKinley is clearly a big influence on Novik. The four standouts for me came all in a row, at the end. 'Dragons and Decorum' is an adorable retelling of Pride and Prejudice with dragons, which could also have become too silly but holds the line, probably because it's so firmly rooted in the existing Temeraire world. 'Castle Coeurlieu' shows off Novik's facility with folktale. 'The Long Way Round' is an exciting glimpse into a new idea that Novik's working on; the plot is that two siblings attempt an impossible sea voyage, but it's the relationship between them that really held my attention. And 'Seven Years from Home', the only SF story in the collection, is Le-Guin-esque in its depiction of a people who at first seem to be at one with the land but are also able to destroy it. So, difficult to rate... but very much worth dipping into, or reading in its entirety if you really love Novik. 3.5 stars.

NB. This is advertised as containing an Uprooted story, but personally I didn't spot it - there are a couple that I guess could be set in the same universe as Uprooted, but if you're a massive Uprooted fan, don't hold your breath.

Buried Deep and Other Stories is a collection of thirteen short stories that span the worlds created by Naomi Novik, including those of the Scholomance series, Spinning Silver and Uprooted, as well as a sneak peek at the land where her next novel will be based.

Each story is prefaced with an introduction which covers a little context or background for each story. I really enjoyed these little glimpses into the inspiration for each story.

Below are my thoughts on each individual story:

Araminta, or, The wreck of the Amphidrake
The language was quite formal, even for a regency-based story, so it initially took a little adjusting to. But once the story got to the halfway mark, I was definitely interested in where it was going and I would definitely read more about the character of Araminta. I do love Regency-based stories of any kind though (romances for sure, but also mysteries, fantasy, etc) so this one definitely worked for me as it's my favourite time period for stories. I would have loved this story to have continued a bit more, or to see another story about her in the future.

After Hours
This Scholomance-based short story showed how much potential there still is in this world for further characters and stories, even after the events of The Golden Enclaves. I really enjoyed it, and would have gladly spent more time with new character Beata. I loved the Scholomance series, and I think that seeing the difference between the school as it was and as it is now and the cameo of a main character from the series in this short story is more appreciated if you've read this series. You might lose a bit of impact if this short story is your entry point to the series, but it would still be enjoyable.

Vivi
This Roman-inspired story in the Temeraire universe was completely new to me, as I've never read the Temeraire series. I believe this is a prequel to the Temeraire series though, with Marcus Antonius as the main character, which worked out quite well for me as an entry to the series.

Buried Deep
This short story focuses on the Minotaur and his sister, Ariadne. I was sometimes confused by the language used and felt this one ended quite abruptly.

Spinning Silver
It's been a few years since I read the novel Spinning Silver, so reading this earlier short story version refreshed my memory of the main novel, but deviated enough that I was still pleasantly surprised. Although the ending is different, it's just a really good story, no matter the length, and I was entertained throughout!

Commonplaces
This short story focuses on the character of Irene Adler from Sherlock Holmes. I couldn't remember much of this character's backstory from the TV adaption of Sherlock Holmes, but I didn't need to because I got all the context and information needed to understand the story.

Seven
This story about a city named Seven instantly grabbed me. It was so descriptive and mysterious and it really went to a place I wasn't expecting! I loved this one.

Blessings
Drunk fairies dishing out blessings to the daughter of a Baron is a recipe for hilarity. This was was short but funny, and left me wanting to see more of the main character (the well-blessed child!).

Lord Dunsany's Teapot
This short story is set in the trenches during a world war, with two soldiers sharing stories over a cup of tea. Wartime stories just aren't for me really, so although this was well written like all the previous stories, it just wasn't my thing.

Seven Years From Home
It took me a while to adapt to the formal language and style of this short story, which focuses on a female spy for a Confederation ego are set on colonising another alien world. It was sometimes uncomfortable to read because of the plot, but I think it was the very formal language that maybe prevented me from connecting fully with the characters.

Dragons & Decorum
This short story is another Regency-era fantasy, so it was a massive hit for me! I love Elizabeth Bennett and her dragon Wollstonecraft, who "had in her first year already developed a taste for gothic literature". Wollstonecraft was sassy, and I loved seeing the classic story play out but with dragons!

Castle Coeurlieu
This story starts with a young girl named Isabeau marrying the Compte de Coeurlieu and going to live at Castle Coeurlieu amidst a war and plagues. The story starts gently, with multiple tales of the fortified tower there, where strange things happen at night or when its doors are shut. But when Isabeau's own story with the tower starts, the tension really ramps up. This half of the story was full of suspense.

The Long Way Round
This short story is set in the world of an upcoming book, and I was really excited to get a sneak peek of this setting via this story. It followed Tess and Aston, a sister and brother duo of navigator and shipbuilder, as they undertake a risky venture across the sea in uncharted waters. I am definitely looking forward to the book that will be based in this world now, whether it's with these characters or just based in this particular setting. It left me with questions for sure!

This was a fantastic collection of short stories, covering a range of time periods and story tones. It's just confirmed to me just how talented Naomi Novik is as a writer as she can literally turn her hand to anything! Depending on the reader's familiarity with Naomi's previous books, and the reader's preference of setting and tone, not all of these stories might work but they are so varied that there will definitely be multiple stories that hit for each reader.

Disclaimer: I received an ARC from NetGalley but this is my voluntary and honest review.

I am not actually a fantasy reader, but Naomi Novik is a writer whose work is irresistible. And this collection is no exception!

From the woes of the mushroom witch, to the delightful nod to a Jane Austen classic, readers will be spellbound by the diversity and depth of the stories on offer.

This book is not to be missed - not least because it offers the opportunity to read short fiction from a talented writer whose long form work we are vastly more familiar with. I loved it.