Buried Deep and Other Stories is a truly enjoyable collection of short fantasy stories. Naomi Novak sets many of her stories in worlds her fans will be familiar with, but the stories themselves are self-contained. In tone they vary from cosy to unsettling, and most centre around female protagonists of various ages. Some are mood pieces but there are also plenty of active stories.
The quality of these stories is very high – even ones that I was initially uninterested in mostly ended up grabbing me by the time I finished them. Novak evokes a great sense of place in her different worlds, and her character sketches are compelling. My favourite story is a poignant retelling of Ariadne and the Minotaur (the titular Buried Deep), but it is closely followed by a brilliant standalone pirate story that confidently opens the collection. It’s also nice that Novak includes a note before each story explaining its genesis or the reason for inclusion.
I have very little negative to say about this book. The only real downer is that the last story is unfinished – it is meant to be a glimpse of a work in progress, but it is polished enough that I was disappointed when the book ended without the story being resolved. I think it would make more sense to put that one earlier in the collection and finish with a strong complete story. Nonetheless, I highly recommend this collection to fantasy fans, particularly people who already enjoy Novak’s work.
Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
Unreal Sonia 