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meganpbell's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
This collection of short stories by one of my all-time favorite authors is a true, glittering dragon’s hoard for fans and newcomers alike! Gender-defying pirates, Greek myth retellings, a mushroom witch at the Scholomance, Pride & Prejudice & DRAGONS, Buried Deep has a gem of a story for every fantasy lover—and extra thrilling, it ends on an abandoned continent of architectural mysteries, a sneak peek at the setting for Naomi Novik’s next series!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Terminal illness, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Pandemic/Epidemic, Colonisation, and War
zoeymik's review
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This short story collection has something for everyone. If you've ever read a book by Naomi Novik and enjoyed it, there's at least one short story in here for you. If you haven't read anything by Naomi Novik before, this is a great place to start, and a great introduction to the worlds of her other books. I went into this collection thinking that my favorite story would be the one set in the world of the Scholomance, but I was surprised by how much I enjoyed a lot of the other stories. I've found that there are always a few stories in any collection that aren't quite for me, but I loved almost all of the stories in this collection. Some of my favorites were "After Hours," "Seven," "Blessings," and "Buried Deep."
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC.
Rating: 4.5/5
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC.
Rating: 4.5/5
alyb_batgirl's review against another edition
3.5
Uprooted remains one of my favorite books, and I very much enjoyed the full length version of Spinning Silver, so I was excited to see this collection of short stories from Novik. Overall though, I felt a little disappointed in the stories, and felt like I had to push myself to finish each one, even though they were (by definition, short).
I haven't read either the Scholomance series or the Temeraire series, so I think this hindered my both my understanding and possibly appreciation for the short stories that were based in this world (the exception maybe being the Vici about dragons in Rome, but only because I loved how snarky the dragon was). I also enjoyed the Pride and Prejudice riff with dragons, which almost makes me want to try the Temeraire series (though I'm generally not a fan of military heavy stories).
Buried Deep, which is a retelling of the Minotaur myth, felt forced and labored, and I had to force myself to finish reading through it. Seven Years from Home (a more SciFi story) was also hard to read and follow for me, though I found the tech/magic introduced to be interesting and novel. It was interested to see the short version of Spinning Silver and how the story evolved into the full length novel (I think I prefer the full length ending though!). I am also intrigued by the Long Way Round, which is a set of sailing siblings that may be the setting for Novik's next full length book. I like the premise and I think the characters were interesting, though the overall story felt a little boring. It will be interesting to see how things change or grow into the full length story, similar to the way Spinning Silver started.
The rest of the collection felt - blah. I have to refer back to the contents to even remember what the other stories were.
Overall, I think its a good reflection of Novik's work, best enjoyed by readers who have read (and enjoyed) her longer series (Temeraire and Scholomance).
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the eARC. All thoughts and opinons are my own.
I haven't read either the Scholomance series or the Temeraire series, so I think this hindered my both my understanding and possibly appreciation for the short stories that were based in this world (the exception maybe being the Vici about dragons in Rome, but only because I loved how snarky the dragon was). I also enjoyed the Pride and Prejudice riff with dragons, which almost makes me want to try the Temeraire series (though I'm generally not a fan of military heavy stories).
Buried Deep, which is a retelling of the Minotaur myth, felt forced and labored, and I had to force myself to finish reading through it. Seven Years from Home (a more SciFi story) was also hard to read and follow for me, though I found the tech/magic introduced to be interesting and novel. It was interested to see the short version of Spinning Silver and how the story evolved into the full length novel (I think I prefer the full length ending though!). I am also intrigued by the Long Way Round, which is a set of sailing siblings that may be the setting for Novik's next full length book. I like the premise and I think the characters were interesting, though the overall story felt a little boring. It will be interesting to see how things change or grow into the full length story, similar to the way Spinning Silver started.
The rest of the collection felt - blah. I have to refer back to the contents to even remember what the other stories were.
Overall, I think its a good reflection of Novik's work, best enjoyed by readers who have read (and enjoyed) her longer series (Temeraire and Scholomance).
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the eARC. All thoughts and opinons are my own.
lory_enterenchanted's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
4.0
I enjoy most of Novik's books except the Scholomance ones, so I liked these stories too (and skipped the one set in the Scholomance world). Favorites were the title story, a retelling of Ariadne and the Minotaur, one that imagined Elizabeth Bennett as a dragon rider, and an intriguing glimpse of Novik's next worldbuilding project.
ambitiousnalgene's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
I really enjoy Naomi Novik’s writing and I think this is a great way to see little peaks into her work. At times, I found some of the stories confusing as I had not read a particular series, but overall I enjoyed this collection.
beachbagbooks's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
Buried Deep and Other Stories is a collection of 13 short stories by Naomi Novik that both take readers back to familiar characters and worlds and charts new territory. All but one of the stories have been published in other anthologies at some time and the last and longest tale is set in the world of one of Novik's upcoming works.
As with any short story collection I had favorites and least favorites, but overall I really enjoyed this book. My favorites were the original short story upon which Spinning Silver is based, an Ariadne retelling, and a Pride and Prejudice re-imagining where Elizabeth Bennet is a captain in the dragon army. If you are familiar with Novik's writing, I highly recommend this collection as a way to experience more and to get a glimpse at some old favorites. If you are new to her work, then this would be an excellent place to start!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this collection in exchange for my honest opinions.
As with any short story collection I had favorites and least favorites, but overall I really enjoyed this book. My favorites were the original short story upon which Spinning Silver is based, an Ariadne retelling, and a Pride and Prejudice re-imagining where Elizabeth Bennet is a captain in the dragon army. If you are familiar with Novik's writing, I highly recommend this collection as a way to experience more and to get a glimpse at some old favorites. If you are new to her work, then this would be an excellent place to start!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this collection in exchange for my honest opinions.
kilayman10's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
fairybookaholic's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
inventious's review against another edition
5.0
Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read an ARC of this book.
I love Naomi Novik's work, this is the level of mastery that I aspire to one day have. So when I was approved for an ARC of this collection of short stories, I immediately dropped what I was reading to start reading this. Naomi Novik is one of those authors whose works I have physical copies of, in pristine condition on my shelf.
I love this collection. I find that with so many of her stories, I always wish for more. I cannot wait to read her new series Folly.
I love Naomi Novik's work, this is the level of mastery that I aspire to one day have. So when I was approved for an ARC of this collection of short stories, I immediately dropped what I was reading to start reading this. Naomi Novik is one of those authors whose works I have physical copies of, in pristine condition on my shelf.
I love this collection. I find that with so many of her stories, I always wish for more. I cannot wait to read her new series Folly.
googles's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
relaxing
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this!! This is a collection of short stories, so not everything is going to be to your liking, but oh there are some fun ones and others that are just fun. And one that is just a return to the Scholomance! Some are fun, some are tragic, and some are terrifying.