Buried Deep and Other Stories

• Author: Naomi Novik
• Genre: Fantasy/Short Stories
• Publication Date: September 17, 2024
• Publisher: Del Rey

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A thrilling collection of thirteen short stories that span the worlds of the New York Times bestselling author of the Scholomance Trilogy, including a sneak peek at the land where her next novel will be set.

From the dragon-filled Temeraire series and the gothic, magical halls of the Scholomance trilogy to the fairy tale worlds of Spinning Silver and Uprooted, this stunning collection takes us from fairy tale to fantasy, myth to history, and mystery to science fiction as we travel through Naomi Novik’s most beloved stories.

In Buried Deep, we move from ancient Greece and Rome, through the Middle Ages and the Black Death, and into the modern era. We meet Mark Antony, Sherlock Holmes, and Elizabeth Bennet, in ways we have never seen them before. We visit exotic fantasy cities and alien civilizations among the stars.

Though the stories are vastly different, there is a unifying theme: the act of finding and seizing one’s destiny, and the lengths one will go to achieve that—be it turning pirate, captaining a fighting dragon, or shifting from marriage to seek your destiny with a sword.

And in the two tales original to this collection, we first reenter the remade Scholomance in the wake of El’s revolution and see what life is like for the new crop of students. Then, we get 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.

I’ve read a few of Novik’s books, and was immediately captivated by her ability to spin folklore into a new story, followed by her dark academia series. I haven’t started her other series, but have it on the back burner because what fantasy fan can resist dragons? Certainly not I. So I even specifically requested an anthology of short stories, despite not typically gravitating to this type of book. That was all on the merit of her previous stories.

One of the best things I’ve encountered about collections of short stories is the way that even if I don’t connect with certain stories, they are far outweighed by the ones that I do enjoy. And while this may not be true for every collection, I haven’t found any yet where I don’t find a single story to love. This one was especially appealing due to the guarantee of seeing some of my most favorite characters in stories that I loved, but see them in different ways. 

Each short story is described a little bit by Novik, explaining when and where it was published, and what she tried to do with the story. I appreciated knowing more about the inspiration behind the stories, and with some, getting to see what seemed like an earlier draft of what turned into a book. This happened with Spinning Silver and I could see so many of the bones of the novel come through in a short story format. I loved seeing the Jewish culture and practices being described just as beautifully, even in a short story.

The book covers a range of stories, characters, and settings, so it ensured that there was something to appeal to every reader, no matter which subgenres are your jam. I was most excited to revisit the previous stories, such as the new and improved Scholomance and Spinning Silver, while also loving some new characters. Vici, dealing with Roman-inspired dragons and Mark Antony, and the most amazingly written and incredibly endearing dragon I have ever seen. Seriously, she’s better than Puff the magic dragon!

Other stories, such as Araminta, or the Wreck of the Amphidrake, took a little longer to capture my attention, although the end of the short story was so much fun, with some tongue-in-cheek humor. I shouldn’t exactly be surprised that Dragons and Decorum wasn’t for me, since it’s a Pride and Prejudice retelling, and I’ve never been a huge fan of classics. 

Overall, this was a great collection of short stories from an author that I enjoy reading. There’s enough difference to appeal to any fantasy reader: romantic fantasy, fairy tale retellings, sci-fi, Regency stories, adventures, dark academia, and even delving into sci-fi. If you haven’t read anything by Novik and aren’t sure if you’d like her writing, this is the best way to find out. This would also be a great read for anyone who likes the novelist version of Behind the Music, if you enjoy the possibility of reading about new stories in an older world that you loved, and if you just want to read a damn fine fairy tale retelling.

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