"The Dead Cat Tail Assassins" by P. Djeli Clark is a riveting adventure steeped in rich world-building and relentless action. Set in a vividly imagined world, Clark intricately weaves together elements of fantasy and suspense, immersing readers in a captivating narrative from start to finish.

Clark's attention to detail brings every corner of his universe to life, from the bustling city streets to the shadowy underworld of assassins. Each setting feels meticulously crafted, providing a backdrop that is both immersive and intriguing.

From exhilarating chase scenes to pulse-pounding showdowns, Clark delivers non-stop thrills that will keep readers on the edge of their seats. The pace is relentless, driving the narrative forward with relentless momentum.

I'm glad that this book was my first contact with P. Djèli Clark's prose. It was a very good reading. I enjoyed the whole time I was diving into this world, the characters were amazing, the world building was good and the book's executation was very much satisfying.

The mind of P. Djeli Clark will never cease to amaze me, but this novella fell a little short of what I've come to expect from him.

The premise was promising: a woman who has died has been brought back to life under the condition that she will kill in the name of a goddess. While out on a job, she comes across something that calls into question everything she's been told about the world and her place in it. While the read was entertaining overall, I feel like the execution of the plot was lacking. The worldbuilding had the potential to be wonderful and similar in scope to Clark's Djinn series, but I'm not gonna lie: it felt kind of called in in this instance. For a novella it felt quite long and drawn out but without a good payoff at the end. I've always felt that no matter the genre, a well-written novella is tightly plotted and contained, with immaculate pacing. In my opinion, this one did not have that.

Absolutely and utterly wonderful. P. Djèlí Clark is a masterful worldbuilder and writes the <i>coolest</i> female lead characters, and that is just too much power for one author to have.

<i>The Dead Cat Tail Assassins are not cats.

Nor do they have tails.

But they are most assuredly dead.</i>

With that kind of tagline, it would be hard to go wrong with the novella itself. In fact, the only thing that was really "wrong" with this for me was that it was only novella-length.

Eveen is a master assassin, one of the Dead Cat Tails. Resurrected in service to the goddess of assassins, she remembers nothing of her former life. So when her former life sneaks up to her and slaps her in the face, in the form of a mark, she is wholly unprepared.

But she is prepared to fight for what she needs, even when that fight is against assassins of her own guild. It was super fun to see the different assassins and their unique skillsets. Because of the page number constraint, it did feel a bit like assassin after assassin, without room for the story to breathe in between the attacks.

And that's where I feel this would have been better served as a full-length novel, and not just because I enjoyed this so much and would selfishly like to see more of it. The pace was rather breakneck, and I really do feel like if there was a bit more breathing room, time for more character work in those downbeats, this would be an even stronger story. As it was, it was a lot of fun and very, very cool, but it didn't have the time and space to creep into my bones.

As mentioned, the worldbuilding was topnotch. Though this was short, not only the setting but the mythology and the culture of the world were impressively developed. It would be a pity for Clark not to come back to this world in other stories. 👀

Eveen the Eviscerator is a member of the Dead Cat Tail Assassin guild. She is not a cat, does not have a tail but is very dead. She signed a contract with a goddess to be her assassin and be reanimated after death. Why? She doesn’t know as all her memories were wiped as well… until she signs a contract to kill somebody she remembers. There are very specific rules regarding contracts and Eveen may have to break them all in order to save herself and her mark.
Very well told novella which left me wanting more! This could easily be a series. Great characters, very funny at times as well as action packed.
Thanks Netgalley for the ARC- my opinions are my own.

Loved this book! I was already a fan of the author but I think this is my favorite of his so far. I've already posted a 5 star review kn Goodreads in support of this title.

I did find some grammatical/typo issues during my read. Are you accepting this feedback in some form? I've highlighted them in my Kindle copy so I think I'm able to pull those and send them somewhat easily.

2.75 on StoryGraph

Re-Readability:
This is not one that I think I would ever re-read. I had a fine enough time with it for the most part, but didn't love it.

Characters:
The characters were fine, but I just didn't get particularly invested in them. Fennis was probably my favorite and he was only in a couple of scenes. There just wasn't much character development for me personally, and I didn't feel like I got to know the two main characters super well, despite being with them the entire time.

Plot:
The overall plot is a cool concept, specifically with the resolution... however, I am personally not the biggest fan of "assassin after assassin after assassin coming after the main character and they just keep fighting and fighting and fighting." John Wick 4 vibes, and while I do enjoy cool action... it can absolutely be too repetitive for me, and this was.

I also found some of the dialogue a little bit too corny/campy/unserious.

The Dead Cat Tail Assassins is another winner by P. Djèlí Clark, who I don't think has ever missed (like ever), but has especially become one of the sages of fantasy novellas.

Novellas are having a bit of a renaissance in speculative fiction, and for good reason. They allow for more character and thematic development without requiring a story to feel stretched beyond it's limits. Unfortunately, many SFF authors struggle to work within the novella format, either trying to shove entire epics into less 200 pages, or stretching out what should have been a short story.

I've never found Djèlí Clark to have this issue with any of his novellas (including The Haunting of Tram Car 015, Ring Shout, or The Black God's Drums. Clark understands exactly what kinds of stories absolutey thrive as novellas and The Dead Cat Tails Assassins is no exception.

The Dead Cat Tails Assassins follows Eveen, a member of the titular guild of highly skilled assassins. They aren't cat, but they are the resurrected dead! The story follws Eveen has she undertakes a new contract, and finds that her target is much more than she bargained for. What results is a novella full of twists, turns, hearts, and humor.

Every element of this novella shines so bright, despite often being set at night and in the underbelly of society. Despite being a novella about causing death, this is novella that is so earnestly about being alive. It is about the joys of life, and how even in tragedy there is nothing like the feeling of a hearbeat or of air breathing out of your lungs. The journey of life is not always easy, but it is worth living; despite the ups and down, backs and forths, bad decisions, and places we never end up in. As Eveen works on her latest contract, and everything that results from it, she learns more about her life and the joys of being alive despite her dead...status.

In this exploration, Clark finds so much humor and levity. Eveen is dry, witty, and sarcastic, and Clark surrounds her with a cast of characters that you will either come to love or love to hate. There are some anachronistic jokes that they characters don't even know they are making (but we readers sure do), and everyone insane plot development is remarked upon as such. I also really appreciated how Clark balanced the humor in the book. Some books that are trying to be witty and sarcastic (such as the Malevolent Seven by Sebastien de Castell) often overdo the humor the point where it becomes awkward and annoying. Clark packs this novella full of humor without ever feeling like it takes away from the humanity of the characters. These aren't MCU-level quip machines without distinguishable personalities. Everyone has their own sense of humor and sense of personhood that radiates from the page.

The worldbuilding is fun and full of a surprising amount of what I might call "science fantasy" without ever descending into magical or scientific gobbly-gook. All of the speculative elements are perfectly calibrated and streamlined in a way that serves the characters and the story, rather than just feeling like window-dressing. Clark is a master of novella-sized worldbuilding. His novellas always know how to make the world feel fully realized and lived-in without resorting to tomes worthos of info-dumps. I fully believed that this world existed without needing to know the national dish of nations our characters don't even visit.

At less than 200 pages, this should be an immediate read for everyone who loves a bit of assassin-ry in their fantasy. Heck, I would visit this world and these characters at any page length! It is a perfect morsel of fun and heart and that we all need a bit more of in our lives. I was perfectly satisfied with what Clark served me here, but I would absolutely devour more stories of Eveen and this world.

Concluding Thoughts: P. Djèlí Clark returns with another knock-out novella, this time featuring an undead assassin whose latest project is shocking in more ways than one. Full of heart and humor, the cast of characters and witty banter will win over most readers as the plot twists and turns in surprising (and occassionally brutal) ways. While many of the characters in this book are dead (but not cats!), this is a book that celebrates life, in both its ups and down. Clark never misses with his novellas (or any of this works!), and this novella will delight new and old fans alike. Pick this one up.

How to describe The Dead Cat Tails Assassins? It’s best to go in blind. Just imagine John Wick as a charismatic undead contract assassin! Set in an urban Tal Abisi, the dead and undead coexist and the business of killing has its own set of rules underwritten by a fearsome bloodthirsty goddess. Eveen is one of her acolytes, part of the titular Dead Cat Tails assassins now tasked with an impossible kill - and that’s all you need to know. The writing is engaging, fast-paced with a dash of humour and the plot advances naturally. The villain is not your typical moustache-twirling baddie. Every character has a unique voice with quirks and personality. Even the side characters are memorable.

Great between longer series or getting out of a reading slump. Just don’t be fooled by the short page count - this novella packs a punch! I had so much fun reading this. Great for fans of Piranesi, N.K. Jemisin and T. Kingfisher.

An e-ARC was provided by the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions remain my own.

-4 stars

The Dead Cat Tail Assassins is a standalone novella, and my first P. Djèlí Clark book. This novella follows a resurrected assassin named Eveen, who contracted to “ship” her mark Cyanna. Once Eveen and Cyanna’s paths cross, we are quickly thrown into an overnight mission across Tal Abisi during a city-wide festival, meeting many unique characters along the way.

This story is both quite funny (had my laughing outloud at times) but also quite dark, making it an engaging and compelling read. I loved the world building, folklore and characters, and was surprised by how quickly I was immersed in the world. My main critique is that I really wish this story had been longer! That being said, reading this novella has inspired me to pick up more books by P. Djèlí Clark!

Thank you, NetGalley, Tor Publishing Group, and P. Djèlí Clark, for the eARC.

I went into this story pretty much blind, aside from knowing that Eveen was an assassin. I liked Clark's writing style. The characters were likable and funny. Seeing more development and learning about their past would have been nice. The world, goddesses, and magic system were also interesting to read about. I wish the book were longer and not as fast-paced so we can get more in-depth information about the world and characters. I enjoyed the story and the twists that came with it. Although, at the beginning, I struggled to get through it because it’s very descriptive, which sometimes felt unnecessary. The world-building also felt specific to the city they were in. I would’ve liked to know more about the world's environment in general and how the magic system worked. This was my first read by Clark, but I’m definitely interested in reading more of his catalog.

The Dead Cat Tail Assassins was exactly what I expected, precisely what I was hoping for, and most certainly everything I could have asked. P. Djèlí Clark's novella is somehow fantastic fun and incredibly dark at the same time, the first driven by the characters, and the latter by the story.

For a woman who has no memory of anything before she was resurrected as an assassin, Eveen is a surprisingly deep character. She's an assassin with principles, a woman who's not afraid to break the three unbreakable vows if it means doing the right thing - a fact that has already gotten her in trouble once before. She is lonely, with only a work-friend to count on, but she has her penny dreadfuls, stories of heroic daring and monstrous enemies that she hoards and quotes from on a regular basis.

I can't say much about Sky without spoiling some key aspects of the plot, but she's one of those characters who grow on you, a plot device who reveals a personality that makes her a match for Eveen. Their weird, awkward, impossible friendship is what exposes the heart of Eveen, inviting us to understand who and how she is.

The world-building here is fabulous, with a wealth of cultural elements, some interesting bits of geography, and a depth of magic and mythology that's more real and more immediate than many readers may be used to. We see that especially in the events leading up to the climax, but I'll say no more for fear of spoilers.

Okay, so I'll say one thing more. There's a character involved in that climax who speaks in a phonetic dialect that I really struggled to read, so much so that I found myself skipping half conversations and trusting the other half to provide context. It's the only thing keeping this from being a full 5-star read, but irritating and distracting enough to pull it down to 4.5 stars.

As I was reading The Dead Cat Tail Assassins, I had two theories in mind as to what was happening and how it would all be resolved. As it turns out, I guessed right on the what, but could never have anticipated how crazy the how would end up being. Definitely worth a read!

The fact that this book is described as "introducing" a new world makes me desparately hope that this is a brief introduction to a world that P. Djèlí Clark plans to spend more time in! The second I saw Clark had an upcoming novella I rushed to request a copy—he writes such fascinating and fleshed-out alternative histories and worlds that invite you to revel in the texture of the story. It could be a problem for some readers, actually, being introduced to a world that you could spend hours and hundreds of pages in... only to realize that you only have a novella-amount of time!

THE DEAD CAT TAIL ASSASSINS is no different. For a story about assassins, this is a genuinely funny novella that had me laughing along as I read. The interplay of magic, science (via alchemy, but I'll keep saying it's science in the context of this world!) and folk/community traditions really flesh out this world, and the sensibilities of the characters within it.

If you're already a fan of Clark, you won't want to miss this one. If you've not had the pleasure... congratulations on your new reading list!

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Books for providing this ARC.

I love P. Djeli Clark. His world building and sense of place are top tier. For a short book, the characters and setting were extremely well developed. The history and magic system in DCTA is well thought out and relayed to the reader without clunky exposition. I also loved the irreverent humor sprinkled throughout.

I don’t see it specified anywhere that this is the beginning of a new series, but it is certainly left open for more. I hope so because I would love to see more of this world and these characters. Definitely recommend for all fans of fantasy who love intricate worldbuilding and interesting characters.

You can’t kill someone already dead. But they sure can kill you. Enter The Dead Cat Tail Assassins. The newest offering by P. Djeli Clark, famous for his Dead Djinn series is a fun lil’ romp filled with novel quirky characters, enough intrigue, and chock full of quippy snark, all wrapped up by what unites us all… murder!

"The Dead Cat Tail Assassins are not cats.

Nor do they have tails.

But they are most assuredly dead."

Hooked by the blurb above, I was curious to see what dark whimsy Clark would spin for us this time around. I enjoyed his debut full-length A Master of Assassins in 2021, but he feels more comfortable in the tighter format of the novella, so The Dead Cat Tail Assassins moves through at a much faster clip, setting up a Venice-like city in Tal Abisi, a perfect, yet slightly stereotypical backdrop for an assassin story. Enter our protagonist, the quite-dead-but-still-kickin’ Eveen. Crowned the “Eviscerator” due to a particularly gruesome instance of… contract fulfillment. This time she is contracted to kill the adolescent Cyeen “Sky”, who may not be who she appears to be.

While The Dead Cat Tails Assassin does not tread entirely new ground in the “assassin dark fantasy” space, it does add just enough flair to keep the story quick and entertaining. The worldbuilding creates imagery of a larger narrative in which case this story fits quite neatly in, and in which Clark is successful. You get all the trimmings of a classic assassin romp, your friendly but utterly deadly rogue’s gallery of fellow and competitor assassins with their own set of arcane skills, with enough hints of a rich criminal underbelly.

It’s hard to put this narrative into an “age” category, though it does tend to veer off into nigh-YA territory, especially with the overly quippy, “everyone’s a comic” style of dialog. Every piece of dialog feels like it was written to maximize dry sardonic humor, and it felt more like a Marvel movie especially with the one-two-dialog-punches between Eveen and Sky through the action set pieces. The climax in particular, while ultimately predictable toed the line between overly grandiose and overly cheesy. Depending on your leanings when it comes to dark YA fantasy, your mileage may vary.

With a healthy dose of murder mystery, lore building, well-written action sequences, and a fun set of characters, The Dead Cat Tail Assassins can be considered a solid addition to Clark’s novella catalog. He creates just enough intrigue to want a full-length novel set in this space. Although, an episodic one-contract-per-novella format of storytelling would be just as successful.

Either way, I would be on the lookout for more un-dead cat-tail assassin shenanigans!

The Dead Cat Tail Assassins is another example of P. Djèlí Clark's ability to create a fascinating world and characters in a short number of pages. Clark's world building is exceptional, especially when you consider it's mostly done through anecdotes and quick references throughout the work, instead of through the more traditional info-dumping. His characters are lively (figuratively, at least) and leave you wanting to learn more about them and the world they inhabit. In The Dead Cat Tail Assassins, Clark uses a familiar trope as the basis for the plot, but puts his own spin on it in a way that makes it feel innovative and fun. My only criticism of the book would be the pacing - the first half feels like it belongs to a longer novel, while the second half feels slightly rushed. Overall, it was fun, fast read that I will absolutely be recommending to others.

A good solid fantasy novel with a little bit of mystery thrown in. Eveen, the main character, is fascinating. She's undead and an assassin who has no memory of her life when she was alive. However, as the story unfolds, you learn that an erased memory does not erase who you are. The setting for this story is rich with magic and beauty. I love how the author describes the city and the people. I liked the twist at the end too. The only reason I'm giving four stars is because one of the characters at the end, the goddess Aerils, her speech is difficult to understand. I was still able to understand the gist of what was being said but it distracted from the story trying to decipher the words.

Thank you NetGalley and Tor Publishing for this Advanced Reader Copy. This is my honest review and all opinions are my own.

First off the title!? I knew I had to read this after seeing the cover an title there would be know other way. Second I was to excited about our main character being an assassin,poc, an her technically not being human!? its like this book was made for me to read😭

3.5 stars, rounded up. Eveen is dead, and an assassin contracted to the goddess Aeril. She doesn't remember how she died. There are rules that govern contracts: they must be just, no killing those not contacted, and you must complete the contract. When Eveen is contracted to kill a girl from an anonymous source, things get weird fast, because the mark is shaking memory loose.

This is a quick ride of a novel, packed into the span of one evening in Tal Abisi. It's a really unique fantasy world and there were parts where I wish I understood a bit more about the world (like the Clockwork King that the festival is based on or what else is out there besides undead assassins or cooks). It took me a bit to get into, but I found it a generally fun read.

Thank you to Tor Publishing Group for an egalley on NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

before i say a review, i would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-arc for exchange for an honest opinion.
this was my introduction to p. djélí clark (i have "ring shout" on my tbr on here) and i'll be honest.. how have i not read anything from him sooner? this was so good! i really loved all the characters and i loved the development. their adventures never got dull, i love the banter. i am definitely getting a physical copy of this when it's released for sure!