I had a blast with this one! Thank you to NetGalley, The publisher, and of course the author for providing this arc to me.

Eveen is an undead assassin apart of the Dead Cat Tail Assassins guild. This guild is contracted to kill people chosen by the buyer of the contract.

Their are 3 vows of an assassin.

1. Every contract must be just.
2. Every assassin must only kill the person listed on the contract.
3. Most important, you must follow through on the contract.

Eveen runs into a snag when she notices the latest contract victim she encounters. The story takes off form their.

I enjoyed all the characters in this one. Baseema was easily my favorite. This was fun, action packed, and maybe even offer a little self reflection.

However, I don't think i enjoyed some of the entrances for the assassins into the story...felt a bit like a tv show.
The banter beteween characters was also a bit silly, i understand that kind of is the point, but sometimes it became too much.

Great ending, great time all around. This releases 8/6/24 and I highly recommend this!

A rich blend of Caribbean folklore, high fantasy, action, and mystery - as to be expected of Clark! This read was immersive and fast-paced with a lot of potential for future scenarios in this world.

Clark is one of my favorite new authors to read, an author who with this latest novella cemented himself as someone whose fiction I need to read without fail. Entertaining, imaginative and as sharp as the daggers these assassins wield, this tale of conspiracy is a brilliant look at his unique style and vision. I gush more indepth in my YT video linked.

<i>The Dead Cat Tail Assassins are not cats.
Nor do they have tails.
But they are most assuredly dead.</i>

This is science fiction fantasy PERFECTION right here. Yes, the Dead Cat Tail Assasins are dead. That's just the beginning. The protagonist, Eveen, is an undead assassin in the world of Tal Abisi. I'm a big fan of absurd comedy in fiction, and that's the true genre of this book. The brilliant humor of this novella was a cornerstone of the story, giving me gems like-
<i>Eveen: "I'm *not* a zombie. That's racist."</i>

The story picks up pace when it introduces the SF into the SFF. In a mere 200 pages, P. Djèlí Clark constructs a unique and immersive world with nuanced characters, intricate backstories, folklore, magic, and mayhem. Clark's expressive prose brings Tal Abisi and its characters to life, with the lore peppered into the events masterfully. The story is fast-moving, and is often predictable, but has several unexpected twists and turns, which snowball towards the end. The ending felt slightly haphazard and childish to me, although hilarious, thoroughly entertaining, and perfectly satisfying. Honestly, the only gripe I have with this novella is the fact that I wanted this to be longer. Or better yet, a full series with more characters because Tal Abisi is now one of my favorite fantasy worlds.

This one is for the Umbrella Academy/Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency/Everything Everywhere All At Once fans. Interesting how only shows come to my mind - it should tell you how descriptive Clark's prose is for me, that this novella is almost entirely visual in my head.

Thank you Netgalley and Tor Publishing Group for a free eARC in exchange for an honest review of this book!

I am big fan of Clark's work, so when I saw he had a new title in the works, I didn't waste much time to request it—and it didn't disappoint! All Clark's signature trademarks are here: humor, social commentary, creative fantasy elements, well-rounded characters...etc!

Eveen is an assassin. She's also undead (please don't call her a zombie). She has no memories of her past life or what made her choose to sign a contract with a goddess to become what she is. There are three unbreakable rules to your contract, but what happens if you break one?

Interesting world and I did like Eveen. I had a problem with how all the bad guys were mustache-twirling villains though, unfortunately it just got annoying (instead of funny) for me.

Content/Trigger Warnings: Violence, torture, mention of children being killed (off-page, in the past)

Clark is one of my auto-buy authors and hasn't done me wrong in any of his tales yet. I absolutely loved his new novella, The Dead Cat Tail Assassins. If you've read him before you can expect the same type of storytelling as in his other stories. If he's a new author to you, Clark combines mythical elements with a bit of sci-fi usually in an alternate universe. I don't want to say anything about this because I could easily give away many of the plot points.

I was hooked by the end of the first chapter and couldn't wait to see what ride Clark had in store for me. This book was originally meant to be released in Spring 2024, but was moved to August 2024. With a tumultuous election season ahead, I think this will offer a bit of escapism for many readers. It's also a great pick for anyone looking to pick up something that's less than 250 pages.

Thank you to Tor Books and Netgalley for a copy in exchanged for review consideration.

I, too, would get violent if someone destroyed my book collection.

P. Djèlí Clark does it again! No one weaves such entrancing, action-packed worlds in such a short time like Clark. This novella had me hooked from beginning to end, as Clark’s writing always does. I hope this is setting up a new series!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

This is my first P Djeli Clark, so let’s get into it!

What I liked: the world building: the setting, mythology, history, you name it. So well crafted and intriguing it kept me turning pages.
The mystery/dilemma of our main character Eveen and how it unfolded. The dynamic between Eveen and Fennis was probably my favorite character piece.

What wasn’t for me: I didn't love how some of the dialogue was delivered and it didn’t come across as funny to me.

I will give check out some more of this author’s work in the future and I bet if you like P Djeli Clark, you’ll like this one, too!

Thanks to NetGalley and Tordotcom for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

"The Dead Cat Tail Assassins are not cats. Nor do they have tails. But they are most assuredly dead."

Thank you to NetGalley, P. Djéli Clark, and Tor/Forge for the E-ARC!

When I saw the cover and title of this book on a retail site, I knew I had to read it. So when I saw that there were E-ARCs, I had to apply, and I'm so thankful that I got approved!

Although this is just a novella, the author does a fantastic job of creating a full and complete story, while also exploring this new world, the assassins guild in which our main character is contracted, and multiple side characters. The story takes place only in one night, and yet we see so much action and adventure. Our character is pulled location to location, trying to uncover the mystery of her newest contract, while having to fight not only foes, but acquaintances.

I want to point out how well each fight scene was written. I was able to easily imagine Eveen moving around the rooms and how her enemies used their magics and weapons against her. Sometimes in books fight scenes can seem a bit of a blur, but the author took the time writing out every move and it really made each fight feel so much more high-stakes. As well, I loved how different every fight felt. With the use of different magic and weapons, but also how each of her foes spoke and reacted to her. I think these action scenes were my favourite part of the story!

Eveen was such a fun main character to follow, but we also had the chance to see her interact with a slew of different characters. Even with so few pages, each person felt unique, with different ways of speaking, various motivations, and flaws. It was so fun trying to figure out how Eveen could best them (or maybe if she couldn't).

Overall, this was such a fun and quick read! I flew through the pages, enthralled so much by the story that I read it in one sitting. I would highly recommend picking this up when it releases!

P Djeli Clark is truly masterful in the short story genre and especially in short fantasy.
I enjoyed this immensely and look forward to more in this world (fingers crossed).

The Dead Cat Tail Assassins is a novella about Eveen, an undead assassin with no memory of her prior life, now sworn to a god and her unbreakable vows. When Eveen is tasked with a job that sparks a memory, she realizes she has been set up and has just one night to unravel the mystery.

"Magic," the thaumaturgist said. "It imitates life, seeking symmetry out of randomness."

It's incredible that this is only a novella - it really did not feel like one. P. Djèlí Clark delivers a fleshed-out world, fun characters, and a dangerous mystery all in 224 pages. It's fast-paced with a lot of action. I would love to see more of this world.

4.5 stars rounded up. The Dead Cat Tail Assassins is a fun, fast-paced fantasy novella with an intriguing world and mystery.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for providing me with a copy of the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

"The Dead Cat Tail Assassins" has been on my personal most anticipated reads list of 2024 for months, and I can express with confidence that it did not disappoint.

Set in a city of intriguing magic, powerful gods and unforgiving rules, this fantasy story follows undead assassin Eveen's journey to uncover an unprecedented mystery. As she races to find the truth, she just may find herself along the way.

This work is a mouthwatering roller coaster from start to finish. P Djèlí Clark is a master at creating unique worlds that are so fun on page. It was full of emotion, intrigue and suspense that truly kept me on my toes until the very end.

This entire piece worked for me. I loved the ambition and the way the story builds up. It is a dark one with a little bit of body horror, but I loved every moment. I can't wait for its release in two weeks to read the finished copy.

Thank you endlessly to NetGalley and Tor who gifted me an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

a really well done novella. this gives you a world that is deeper than you could explore in the number of pages available but provides plenty of context for everything that you need, sets up a mystery, then follows our main characters on a ramshackle race against time to solve it. there are murders (so many murders), magic, an island-inspired culture, gods, and the equivalent of comic book series as a plot point. bloody, fast paced, mind bending and fun. this was a great read.

If you haven’t read P. Djèlí Clark yet, you are denying yourself some of the finest fantasy writing currently available. As he proved in one of my all time favorite novellas, A Dead Djinn in Cairo, he can build a whole world with just a few details. In The Dead Cat Tail Assassins, he has left au earth and has built a whole new world in the port city of Tal Abisi.

I don’t feel like I should tell you much about the plot. The main character, Eveen, is an undead assassin, not a ghoul, not a zombie. During her life she pledged herself to Aeril, the Matron of Assassins (and cooks). Sometime after her death she was resurrected with no memory of her life, but with a lot of knowledge about how to kill. Assassins have 3 rules:

A contract has to be just.
You can only kill the contracted.
Once you take a contract you have to carry it out.
When Eveen sees her next target, everything starts to go wrong. Someone is playing games with Eveen, the Dead Cat Tail Assassins, and the goddess they serve. Eveen has the night to figure out how to fix a problem she can’t explain. All of this is happening on the final night of a carnival. People are out in the streets in costumes, reveling and celebrating.

The Dead Cat Tail Assassins is magical. It is by turns gripping, creepy, funny, and gut wrenchingly sad. This is a story about undead assassins, so be prepared for some gore. I hope we get more stories from Tal Abisi. And always more stories from P. Djèlí Clark and his magnificent imagination.

I received this as an advance reader copy from Tordotcom and NetGalley. My opinions are my own, freely and honestly given.

I knew I was going to enjoy this just by the title: The Dead Cat Tail Assassins! P. Djèlí Clark does a fantastic job at setting up and developing the world-building with intriguing details and total lack of infodumps. This was such an interesting universe and I loved how it built up on folklore and other stories to move the plot forward.

The characters were also very well written, though I wish we had seen a little more of a few of the side characters. Even so, our narrator had a strong voice and I liked going on this journey with her as she tried to figure out what was going on with herself and... herself.

The final resolution did lose me a little bit when the goddess figure came along, but I know this was due to the writing style attached to the dialogue. Still, the ending did answer some important questions about the characters and was satisfying when it came to the future of one particular bad dude :D

This slim novella packs a wide punch. The titular assassin group has few rules, but woe to the assassin who does not fulfill their contract.

That's what happens when Eveen meets her new target. She just can't do the job. She risks the displeasure of her guild boss, the patronage of her god, the wrath of cith city rulers, and perhaps the loss of her undead soul. Oh yeah, Eveen is undead and has no memory of her life before becoming as assassin.

This book needs a lot of sequels. It's feminist and funny and clever.

Thank you, netgalley, for letting me read and review this book. This was my first time reading anything by the author, and I would be looking for more of their books to read in the future. I liked the writing style and the premise of this world. With it being a shorter story, it moves fast, which makes it hard to connect with the characters. I would have really liked it if it was a longer story that took its time so you could learn more about the world and the characters. I would love it if this did become part of a larger book so we could get to see more of this world and how things came to be.

TL;DR

The Dead Cat Tail Assassins by P. Djèlí Clark is a wonderful, action-packed book. Follow Eveen as she tries to unravel what is happening to her in this engrossing world. Highly recommended.

Disclaimer: The publisher provided a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Any and all opinions that follow are mine alone.

Review: The Dead Cat Tail Assassins by P. Djèlí Clark

When I was in college and didn’t have much money, I used to select fantasy novels based on their page count. I figured that I got more for my money with more pages. But more pages doesn’t mean better quality. The science fiction and fantasy (SFF) genre has generated some large books of late, but Tor.com has also begun bringing back the novella and the novellette. These shorter works may have fewer pages, but they are filled with quality. One good example of their high quality stories is The Dead Cat Tail Assassins by P. Djèlí Clark. This short novel features action, wonderful world-building, and characters that are fun, funny, and badass. Clark made sure that the reader gets the most bang for their buck.

Eveen the Eviscerator is dead. She is also a highly skilled assassin. Both of these things happen to be true. Eveen owes a portion of her afterlife to the Goddess of assassins. As such, she belongs to the Dead Cat Tail Assassin guild where she takes contracts with divine rules. If she accepts a contract and fails to carry it out, The retribution shall be at the hands of the Goddess herself and extended to her guild. So, of course, the story begins with Eveen accepting a contract that she can’t fulfill. As a functional zombie, she has no memory of her life. Her existence prior to her death is supposed to be lost to her. So, how come her latest target elicits memories Eveen shouldn’t have? She needs to figure out what’s happening to her before her failure destroys her and every one of her guild-mates.

The Dead Cat Tail Assassins by P. Djèlí Clark is a fast paced, third person adventure. The novel is short and action-packed. It’s in an interesting world of gods, zombies, and magic. Clark has created a world that begs for exploration. Highly recommended.

Eveen

Eveen is wonderful. She fits as an assassin because she’s insubordinate and strong willed. I loved reading about her. Her catchphrase is amazing, and I hope we get to see her again.

She wasn’t what I expected prior to reading, and I’m grateful for that. I was expecting a high fantasy-esque type assassin. She was not that. Her voice was wonderful; it was modern and appropriately full of snide.

The Central Mystery

The reason that Eveen couldn’t continue with the contract was easily discovered if read closely. I knew early on what had happened, and I continued to read for confirmation. Regardless, I liked the mystery, and I found that how Clark wrapped up the novel fit well.

As a reviewer, I go back and forth on the effectiveness of the mystery. On the one hand, it’s just there to move the story along and give a reason for these wonderful characters to act. On the other, it’s one that readers steeped in the SFF genre will pick up on. In the end, I settled on it being effective because this isn’t a mystery story. It’s an adventure story set off by the mystery itself.

World Building

As an SFF fan, I love intriguing worlds. The creativity, the weirdness, the unexpected differences make a for a background that keeps me immersed in a story. Clark has created a world that I want to know more about. The gods, the guilds, all of it. I want to experience more of Eveen’s world because Clark filled it with interesting concepts. The books has a festival with costumes, a university, and a magical ecological disaster. One of my favorite example is that the goddess of assassins is also the goddess of chefs. It’s beautiful.

The Dead Cat Tail Assassin’s guild might be my favorite non-Eveen aspect. It’s leader, Baseema, is a woman with a scary past, and that comes across in the novel. I appreciated her and the Banari man that she was entertaining. Luckily, the reader gets to see more of the guild as Baseema sends assassins after Eveen. Remember, her choice affects the entire guild, and thus they have to protect themselves. With each assassin that Eveen faces off against, readers get to see the diversity of Clark’s imagination. Each assassin felt unique and like level bosses in a video game. It would be neat to see more of them, and it makes me wonder if there are other assassins guilds.

Conclusion

P. Djèlí Clark’s The Dead Cat Tail Assassins is a wonderful, fast-paced, short novel that delights. This fascinating world is only surpassed by a main character that is as fun as she is deadly. I don’t know if Clark plans to return to this world or to Eveen, but I sure hope so. In a time of door-stopper series, this slim, action-packed joy is exactly the SFF genre needs.

The Dead Cat Tail Assassins was an interesting read. I liked the description and the cover. This was my first time reading something by Clark and really enjoyed the writing style. The world building and description was beyond what I anticipated as it was very thorough. The characters were interesting though I wish they had been more developed. I don't have an issue with the pacing of the story, but it does seem as though because of the pace that the MC wasn't able to have the type of growth that makes you connect with the character in some way.


Thank you to P. Djèlí Clark, Tor Publishing Group and Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.