"Buried Deep and Other Stories" by Naomi Novik

 

Naomi Novik is one of my favorite authors. I have read most of her books, except for the Temeraire series, which I hope to read someday (too many books, not enough time). I'm not usually a fan of short stories, but I make an exception for my favorite authors.

This is a delightful collection of 13 short stories by the master tale spinner, Naomi Novik. Each story stands alone, some with more of a bite than others. Each tale is accompanied by the author’s note giving us background on the tales, which I loved. A couple of the stories were previously published, and I had read them already. The stories are:

1.  Araminta, or, The Wreck of the Amphidrake - A pirate story set during Regency times. Young lady Araminta is sent abroad to marry a young noble due to her un-womanlike behavior and gets more than she bargained for when pirates attack her ship.

2.  After Hours (Scholomance) – A story that takes place shortly after the events of the Scholomance trilogy (a series that I loved). A young mushroom witch is sent to the Scholomance for her safety and finds it isn't as safe as she thought.

3.  Vici (Temeraire, 2010) - (2008) - Roman Empire and dragons! It is based on the Temeraire series and follows the life of a young Roman, Mark Antony, after he hatches a dragon’s egg.

4.  Buried Deep (2019) – A retelling of the Labyrinth and the Minotaur. A child with the head of a bull and the body of a man is born to King Minos and his wife, Pasiphae, as a punishment for keeping a snow-white bull sent to him by Poseidon for sacrifice. The story is told from the POV of the Minotaur's sister.

5.  Spinning Silver (2016) – An earlier and shorter version of the full-length novel loosely based on the tale of Rumpelstiltskin. A young Jewish girl outsmarts an elf-like Staryk. I have read the full-length story and loved it more.

6.  Commonplaces –The author's version of Irene Adler and Sherlock Holmes story from Irene's POV. Irene is married and lives peacefully with her solid husband. After reading about the death of Sherlock Holmes in the papers, Irene tries to find out if it is true.

7. Seven (2019) – A story about art and clay-shapers. An artist is charged with fixing a statue using a deathly white clay.

8.  Blessings (2019) – A fairy story about fairy godmothers and their blessings. It somewhat reminds one of the Sleeping Beauty tale with a twist. Drunken fairies bless a child, but some blessings are worse than others.

9.  Lord Dunsany's Teapot (2011) – A war story revolving around two soldiers and a magical teapot. Two soldiers find comfort in tea and believe in the teapot's protective powers. A somewhat depressing tale.

10.  Seven Years From Home (2010) – A colonialism tale that takes place on an alien planet. The heroine is a female version of Lawrence of Arabia. I didn't connect to the tale and found it a bit dull.

11.  Dragons & Decorum (~Temeraire?, 2017) – A retelling of Pride and Prejudice with Dragons! Elizabeth is a Captain, and a dragon is her companion in this version where England is at war with France (Bonaparte times). I love Pride and Prejudice and enjoyed this version.

12.  Castle Coeurlieu (2016) – The story of a young bride in the Middle Ages during the Black Plague, including some fairy tales.

13.  The Long Way Round – The sea-travel adventures of a brother and sister who set forward to find a new continent.

I enjoyed the collection, and although I liked most of the stories, there are four that are my favorites: Dragons & Decorum (I hope the author will make it a full-length novel), After Hours, Blessings, and Castle Coeurlieu. Some of the stories were open-ended, and the endings were too vague for my taste. Even though I loved the full-length novel "Spinning Silver", I thought including its short version was unnecessary and made for dull reading for those familiar with the tale.

In summary, all of these stories have four things in common: good writing, interesting storylines, strong heroines/solid characters, and vivid settings. The theme of destiny and free will runs through them like the red thread of fate. As the stories were uneven in their level, I rate the book 4 out of 5 stars. Fans of the author will surely enjoy the tales. If you haven't read her work before, this collection will give you a taste of her writing.

* Thank you NetGalley and (publisher) for the opportunity to read this arc.  All opinions are my own.

* For more info about the book: "Buried Deep and Other Stories" by Naomi Novik