This was my first book by P. Djèlí Clark, and I absolutely loved it. The Dead Cat Tail Assassins is dark, funny, and exciting.

Eveen is part of a guild of undead assassins, serving a goddess with very particular rules, in the fantastical city of Tal Abisi. The setting, including the festival of the Clockwork King and lots of food, was richly detailed. Eveen and the supporting cast of characters were also well-developed and each had his or her own unique personality. While the novel is short, that means everything moves at a quick pace, and we still have plenty of deft writing showcasing each vivid character. This is a fun, lively, violent, imaginative little book that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Thank you NetGalley and Tor Publishing for an advanced copy of this book.

This is exactly what a novella ought to be - intriguing, immersive, and just a little bit of delight! It also has the best final line of any book I've ever read- but I won't spoil it!

Whether you've read all of P. Djèlí Clark's works or this is the first, you're in for a treat. The writing is so intentional and purposeful and the world is so immersive. I didn't fully understand the magic system, but I think that was a me issue, and it didn't impede my enjoyment of the story at all.

I'm so grateful to Tor Dot Com and NetGalley for granting me access to an ARC.

P. Djèlí Clark crafts a vibrant world with intricate and dynamic characters in "The Dead Cat Tail Assassins."

The story revolves around Eveen, a dead assassin who uncovers that her newest contract is to assassinate...herself. She must swiftly untangle the reasons behind this scheme.

The book begins slowly with pacing issues but gains momentum around the middle and hurtles towards the conclusion. The author adeptly integrates magic and elements of steampunk into an enthralling narrative. However, it's the characters in this world that truly stand out. They are vivid and amusing, adding to the story's appeal.

All in all, I enjoyed this story and if you are a fan of a fantasy story full of assassins and magic, I highly recommend adding it to your tbr.

Genre: speculative fiction

Eveen is an undead assassin, guild bound and sworn to the Matron of Assassins, her memory wiped clean and trained to execute just contracts. But her latest contract jars something loose - memories and knowledge she shouldn’t have - kicking off a sequence of events to topple everything she knows, against the perfect backdrop of the Festival of the Clockwork King.

One of the reasons I enjoy picking up P Djèlí Clark's work is that I never quite know what to expect because every novel or novella takes on something new. The Dead Cat Tail Assassins gives us an incredibly rich fantasy world in only 200 pages, thick with legends and intricate worldbuilding all critical to the short plot arc. It's an impressive feat to bring to life...or afterlife, as it were, with our undead assassins.

Clark’s shorter works lean on vibes and atmosphere, rather than intense plot. He paces the novella well, with fragments of storytelling, reflection on circumstance, and a little bit of deadly action. They are assassins after all.

What is the worst thing your boss asked you to do? Pretty sure Eveen is at least on the podium for that. In P. Djèlí Clark's "The Dead Cat Tail Assassins" she is lucky to already be dead. Out August 6, 2024.

That isn't a joke, she is dead. Most of her coworkers are dead. But she promised herself to a Goddess of Assassins (and other things) for a resurrection, all it takes is 3 vows and a wiped memory. All is well, she has a a fearsome reputation as "The Eviscerator, " plenty of literature to read and a century to work through, that's job security. Unfortunately, that all goes out the window when she has a memory and breaks the Third Unbreakable Vow. Which has consequences...

Reasons to read:
-It's a novella, you have time to sneak a novella in, you deserve it
-Deadly killers
-Banter
-An unexpected workplace friends
-Super creepy workplace associates
-Great world, felt real lived in
-OH definitely stab that person

Cons:
-The flaw of great novellas of being short, but quality

A fun romp through a richly detailed world full of gods, magic, and assassins. Had truly excellent depth for such a short book. The world building made it an absolute delight to dig into, I'd love to read more if not about these precise characters then this world.

3.5 stars - I assume this is the beginning of a series, and I'm interested to read more! This is a playful book about assassins, which seems like an oxymoron, but if you know PDC's work, he pulls it off. There was a certain je ne sais quoi missing for me, but that's just my tastes/high expectations for him - this is a very strong short novel that had me laughing & intrigued

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this story!
SPOILERS TO FOLLOW

Oh how I WISH this story was longer. I remember requesting it because the title sounded funny to me and what made it even funnier was where it came from (which is explained in the very first chapter). Skye and Eveen were so funny together (maybe because they basically were each other) and so I enjoyed their conversations and the journey they had together. The world building in this story is so damn immersive too. I was astounded by the deeply rooted magic and culture in the story. The reveal of the "Old Man" was really funny too as I'd thought it was the skeleton but I was wrong! The ending was so much fun too with both of the goddesses showing up and Eveen and Skye getting their revenge on the guy who even got them into this whole mess. This was the first novel I've ever read by this author and I'll be on the lookout for more!

This was such an adventurous, kind of funny and kind of gory little book and I really enjoyed it. It’s my first book by this author and definitely won’t be my last. I liked the main character a lot, she was so endearing and just made me root for her so quickly. The world is also super interesting and I enjoyed the hired dead assassins that wore cat masks. Definitely recommend if you’re wanting a quick read with lots of action!

Thanks to NetGalley and Tor for granting me access to the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a straight-up delight.

And I wasn't expecting that. The blurb makes it seem like it's going to be heavy fantasy—and it is—but it's unexpectedly (and intentionally) hilarious. There are so many jabs at high fantasy tropes and toxic fandom, complete with an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink approach to worldbuilding that was just fantastic.

No notes, just stabby vibes.

Clark is a master of the craft, and this is his playground.

I received an ARC from Netgalley

The Dead Cat Tail Assassins was an incredibly fun read set in a imaginative world. The story follows Eveen, a member of the titular guild of undead assassins who have no memories of their previous lives and serve a powerful goddess. When Eveen fails to complete a job, breaking the guild's most unforgivable rule, she must find a way to avoid the goddess's wrath for sparing her target before the sun rises.

Set in a world that blends magic and technology with steampunk vibes, the story captivates with its unique setting and well-developed characters. I really enjoyed Eveen's evolving relationship with the assignment she saved. The plot centers around the mystery of the target's true identity and the reasons behind Eveen's contract to kill her. The mystery element, intertwined with various science fiction concepts, added depth to the narrative, making it a perfect blend of fantasy and intrigue.

The resolution of the mystery and the story's conclusion were both satisfying and well-executed. If you’re looking for a fantasy novella with sprinkles of science fiction and mystery The Dead Cat Tail Assassins is the book for the job.

HE DEAD CAT TAIL ASSASSINS by @pdjeliclark was a whirlwind of fighting, intrigue and mystery-solving. Thank you to the author, @netgalley, and the publisher, @tordotcompub for the e-ARC and physical ARC.

🗡️🗡️🗡️

This little steampunk fantasy/sci-fi dream of a book was an absolute delight. There are hijinks, strange space-time continuum anomalies, nomadic hot air balloon wielding pirates and traders, an enchanting magic festival called The Shimmer and of course, The Dead Cat Tail Assassins who work under the authority of an ancient goddess who does not give second chances.

I had so much fun with this book and was surprised by how much incredible world-building was packed into this tiny tome. I felt immersed in the magic energy of The Shimmer, subdued by the deadly marching orders of the assassins and intrigued by the sci-fi twist.

Definitely read this one if:
🩶You like steampunk societies
🩶Hot air balloon travellers appeal to you
🩶You like a paradox
🩶It makes you giggle that the Dead Cat Tail Assassins are not cats, nor do they have tails
🩶You love a caper with some hijinks
🩶Short books are your jam
🩶Immediately immersive world building with plenty of details is not intimidating to you

Are you a cat person or a dog person? Or both?

💚SMASHBOT 💚

In the fantastical port city of Tal Abisi, Eveen is an undead assassin. Not the only one of her kind, she belongs to a guild made up of others like her, all raised by the goddess Aeril, Matron of Assassins, to whom she signed a contract to serve for 100 years in order to keep “living,” though with no memory of her prior life. We are introduced to her as she is meeting with Fennis, who is still alive and handles the paperwork for the Dead Cat Tail Assassins, the name of her guild. Over a decadent meal (the undead still need food in this world, though the pleasure of eating is dulled dramatically) he presents Eveen with her next contract. She has been requested by name and he has a location but other than that he can divulge no information. Eveen is slightly wary, but quickly signs on to the contract regardless and heads out in search of her target.

Tal Abisi is in the middle of its annual Festival of the Clockwork King, the Pirate Princess, and the Golden Bounty, which sees the streets filled with costumed revelers, often under the spell of at least a little magic. Eveen easily reaches the address and scales the tower and is about to strike when she is halted in her tracks. Her mark has triggered a memory in her, something that isn’t supposed to happen, and she can immediately tell that they are profoundly connected. She can’t bring herself to kill her and instead rescues her from the tower in which she was allegedly being held captive, taking the girl to Fennis in the hopes that he can help her sort things out. But this means that she is breaking the third unbreakable vow she made to Aeril, the one which carries the harshest punishments of all, which means that she will have her guild master Baseema after her, along with the other assassins, and ultimately the goddess Aeril herself. That is unless she can figure out what links her to the girl she found in the tower before the time on her contract runs out.

This is a slim book that can easily be read in a single sitting and it’s told so compellingly that it is near impossible not to do so. Author P. Djèlí Clark writes with a natural rhythm that keeps the pages flying by as he adds a surprising amount of detail to his world and characters in so few pages and keeps readers breathless about where the story could be headed next. I quickly fell in love with all of the main cast, keeping me deeply invested in their fates and on the edge of my seat as they race through the city hoping to avoid their fate. Action scenes are handled beautifully and easy to follow, though the temptation to skip ahead and ensure everyone is safe is almost unbearably hard to resist. Adding in quantum mechanical twists, musings on the nature of free will, and dollops of wry humor only make this slim volume shine that much more. This quick but lively and memorable read should make fans of the author out of all who pick it up.

This wasn't for me. The concept was great, as was the world, but the execution was lacking and the characters were boring, as was the story. Eventually, I just stopped reading and didn't miss not knowing how it ends or if I called the twist correctly.

The Dead Cat Tail Assassins does not in fact include cats – that is made abundantly clear in case there’s any confusion. What it does include, though, is a guild of dead assassins that operate based on a specific set of rules – the contract must be just, you can only eliminate the contracted, and you must carry out any contracts you accept. That seems simple enough for Eveen to accomplish at least until she accepts a contract that brings her face to face with her forgotten past. I thought this was such an interesting and fast read. It was also funnier than I expected particularly with the sass between Eveen and her mark. I also really loved the world building and assassins guild constructs. It hit all the must have elements of an assassin story which I found particularly impressive given that’s it’s a novella. I combo read this with the audiobook and ebook. I enjoyed Lynnette R. Freeman’s narration. She really brought the character’s feisty nature to life. I do believe it would be enjoyable read strictly as an ebook as well. If you’re looking for a quick, fast paced assassin tale, I would recommend checking this one out.

If it's one thing Clark does really well, it is telling a great story. With the Dead Cat Tail Assassin's, we are once again given characters to cheer for and side eye, because they have such personality on page, the cultural context of mannerisms and interactions, and the magic of science and multiverses. Clark's attention to world-building, character development, and dialogue keeps me coming back to his works. Even here in such a short story, I am awed at how he effortlessly pulls me in

I gobbled this novella up, enjoying every deadly encounter and fight, the smarts and fleet of foot skills of Eveen and her tenacity. Serial murderers that get their comeuppance. Petty politicians and goddesses also added another layer of energy to the plot. I want more from this world and these characters because I believe this is the start of something really good.

2/5 Stars

TL;DR - A disappointing execution of what could have been a really fantastic story. And intriguing premise coupled with excellent world-building, but overall, so much wasted potential hampered by bland characters and poor dialog.

Big thanks to Tor and NetGalley for providing the ARC for this book in exchange for an honest review!

***Trigger Warnings for: death, violence, blood, gore, murder, severed limbs, mentioned death and mutilation of children, classism, and vivisection.***

‘The Dead Cat Tail Assassins’ by P. Djèlí Clark is a fantasy novella following an assassin named Eveen, who, yes, is fully dead. Over the course of one night, her entire existence is turned upside down after she breaks the most important rule of a goddess-ordained contract and has to figure out who set her up before her goddess comes calling.

Oh man, I am *so* conflicted about this book!

On the one hand, the world-building is so, so intriguing — assassins who pledge themselves to a goddess to serve her after they die, a soft magic system that’s just as much science as it is magic, a non-Eurocentric world, fickle deities, even some quantum timey-wimey things — all things I love to read about, and, in my opinion, they *were* done well. That’s where this book really shines in my opinion, the sheer breadth of creative ideas this work touches on. And therein lies the problem — with just around 200-ish pages to work with, I don’t feel like there was enough time to explore everything, and so a lot of exposition had to be front-loaded in, with characters info-dumping to other characters that would, ostensibly, already know this stuff. And a lot of questions left unanswered, which, fine, yes, it’s a novella, but I’m a world-building nerd and I want to know everything! Still, though, I’m giving this book one full star for the world-building alone.

Character concepts, amazing — especially all of the different assassins and their unique ways of carrying out their profession. The characters themselves, though…bland as all get-out. Eveen, super cool concept, super annoying and boring in actuality. The villain? Boring villain do boring villain things, give boring villain speech. I was really hoping for more from both of them, but I just didn’t get it, and I really don’t think it has to do with the length (or lack thereof) of the book, they’re just wholly uninteresting, baseline.

And then, the real issue I took with the book, is that the dialog is just so bad compared to how rich and complex the world-building is. The dialog (and Eveen’s internal monologue) is so juvenile to the point of that I was regularly rolling my eyes. Everyone also speaks so incredibly modern that I could never suspend my disbelief and sink into the story for more than a few pages at a time. Anachronisms abound, including but not limited to: “heckuva”, “weirdo”, “fart”, “hells to the no”, “get bent”, “neckbeards”, “mansplain”, and “squee”. I can’t explain to you how jarring it was to be vibing along with a cool world and then just read dialog that sounds like a teenager writing their first fantasy story. Every author has their strengths and weaknesses, sure, but holy hell, it’s immersion-breaking.

And then the story itself is just…boring. I called the “twist” almost as soon as it showed up, and while there’s certainly a lot of action, this book really felt like a slog — normally I can get through a full-length novel in one sitting if I’m feeling it, but it took me three days to get through this novella, because I just didn’t feel compelled to finish it. Once I realized how bad the dialog was, all of the spectacular world-building didn’t even matter, and I had to really struggle to finish it.

I can’t even say this might be a case of “right author, wrong book” for me, because I can’t imagine putting myself through the ordeal of getting all immersed in another great world that I’m sure this author can dream up, only to have to sit through the most juvenile, cringe dialog for a second time. I also need to care about characters, or at least be intrigued by them, to stick through a full-length novel, let alone a series, and this book didn’t deliver on that front, either.

Final Thoughts:

I’m so disappointed. I will not be purchasing a physical copy.

This was so well written and the perfect length. It follows Eveen a contract assassin who's technically dead, on a mission to kill her past alive self. I had such a good time following the characters. It was action packed right from the beginning and was so easy to follow. The pacing was well done too, with just enough world building to make me want more from the author in this world.

"The Dead Cat Tail Assassins are not cats.

Nor do they have tails.

But they are most assuredly dead.

Nebula and Alex Award winner P. Djèlí Clark introduces a brand-new world and a fantastical city full of gods and assassins.

Eveen the Eviscerator is skilled, discreet, professional, and here for your most pressing needs in the ancient city of Tal Abisi. Her guild is strong, her blades are sharp, and her rules are simple. Those sworn to the Matron of Assassins - resurrected, deadly, wiped of their memories - have only three unbreakable vows.

First, the contract must be just. That's above Eveen's pay grade.

Second, even the most powerful assassin may only kill the contracted. Eveen's a professional. She's never missed her mark.

The third and the simplest: once you accept a job, you must carry it out. And if you stray? A final death would be a mercy. When the Festival of the Clockwork King turns the city upside down, Eveen's newest mission brings her face-to-face with a past she isn't supposed to remember and a vow she can't forget."

Damn I love P. Djèlí Clark's worldbuilding.

Thank you NetGalley and TOrdotcom for this ARC Copy!

This book packs a lot of punch in such a short story. The world building was surprisingly deep and descriptive for so few pages. I really enjoyed the world, the gods/magic system, and the concept but I just did not connect to the characters enough to really get invested in such a short story.
I think this is fully a me problem and definitely a book problem, I just have a hard time getting invested in Novellas.