Before she became (and while she was becoming) known for The Scholomance trilogy and the Temeraire series, Naomi Novik wrote an impressive number of short stories published across anthologies and magazines – and now, readers can enjoy these stories anew or for the first time. Spanning some familiar worlds and other completely new ones, Buried Deep and Other Stories is a collection of thirteen stories, collating some of Novik’s best short works, each with a brief insight into the story and how it came about.
In all honesty, I’m struggling to reduce this book down to just a few lines. It’s a lot, and the stories in it cover a sweeping range of different worlds, perspectives, and stories. Most of them fit quite firmly in the ‘fantasy’ genre; but some are very much historical-based fantasy, others more classical fairy tale, and others more modern fantasy. Others still aren’t really fantasy at all, but sci-fi or historical fiction. One tells the tale of a worker in clay tasked with making a deadly sculpture, another concerns the taming of a dragon during the Roman empire, another is a retelling of the Minotaur legend. The main element tying all of them together is Novik’s writing and storytelling style, which is luscious and vivid and at times deeply emotive in a way that sticks with you long after certain stories are finished. It means that when you turn the page to a new story, you’re never quite sure what you’re getting into – save for the fact that it might make you really feel something.
Another thing that I must admit is that I was a little tentative when starting Buried Deep and Other Stories. I’m not familiar with all of Novik’s works, and the blurb very much implied that most of these stories would be tied tightly to said works – potentially leaving me reading about characters and worlds I’m supposed to be familiar with but aren’t.
However, while a few of the stories are set in worlds she’s previously written about (including one which provided the impetus for a full novel) knowledge of her other novels certainly isn’t necessary to enjoy them. It might mean that certain aspects of the worldbuilding aren’t explained quite as much as they could be, but it’s not really an issue, and if you’re familiar with how fantasy stories typically work you’ll get the gist of things pretty quickly.
The stories set in these worlds typically tell the stories of other characters from them, maybe with a quick cameo for fans of the books. It all means that if you’re a fan of Novik’s other works, you’ll enjoy this sideways insight into her worlds – and if you’re not, you’ll still be able to enjoy all of her stories perfectly well.
This collection certainly has some incredible highlights. The stories are truly creative, and often have a quiet, contemplative side to them that makes them delightful and a touch bittersweet. Many of them I’d gladly return to again and again. Some, however, aren’t quite as interesting or inspired. This isn’t to say that they’re awful – none of the stories in the collection I’d really label ‘bad’ let alone ‘awful’. But, the fact of the matter is that this book spans over a decade of Novik’s work, including works that aren’t quite in line with each other in content, quality or tone. All the stories are readable and generally enjoyable, but not all of them are likely to connect with you in the same way.
Buried Deep and Other Stories is a wonderful little collection – even if it’s not perfect. It is a delight whether you’re a fan of Novik’s work or just discovering her for the first time.
Fantasy lovers looking for a short story fix should definitely give it a try.
FOUR STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Buried Deep and Other Stories is now available from Penguin Books Australia. Grab yourself a copy from a local bookstore HERE.
