This post may contain affiliate links for books we recommend. Read the full disclosure here.
Book: “The Dead Cat Tail Assassins” by P. Djeli Clark
Publishing Info: Tordotcom, August 2024
Where Did I Get this Book: ARC from the publisher!
Where Can You Get this Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | IndieBound
Book Description: 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 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.
Review: I got to meet this author back when Kate and I went to ALA in Chicago in 2023, so he’s been on my list of writers to check out for a bit. Not to mention, I’m always interested in a fantasy story featuring assassins, so this book was an obvious request for me! Plus, the title is intriguing as heck!
This was one of those books that felt familiar and a bit like a homecoming in the best of ways. This isn’t to say that the story, characters, or world were unoriginal, more so it was the fact that they all so neatly referenced many other familiar, beloved traits found in similar fantasy stories. Eveen, in particular, while still very much her own character, also reminded me of other beloved similar characters (Keesan from “Godkiller” comes to mind). She was that perfect combination of hardened, rather sarcastic warrior woman who finds her straight-forward approach to the world suddenly challenged. She was funny, powerful, and charismatic, and I would read more books about her any day of the week!
I also really enjoyed the world-building that went into this book. It’s a novella, so the author had to be judicious with how to build in the framework of this world while not cutting into the fast-paced action of the story. The entire story takes place over a 24-hour period of time, and yet between all of the fighting and running and scheming scenes, I still felt as if I understood this world of undead assassins and the powerful families who would wield them for their own goals. The concept of the undead assassins was also very interesting; it was one of those ideas you find in fantasy stories that are deceptively simple and yet brilliant when played out on the page.
While some of these fantasy elements and characters (both main and side) felt vaguely familiar (again, in the best way), the ending of this book packs a major punch with the way it resolves the greater conflict. I can truly say I didn’t see that last twist coming at all, and not only was it clever, but it perfectly wrapped up many of the threads of the story that had begun to feel impossibly knotted.
I also really enjoyed the numerous side characters sprinkled throughout the book. Eveen will always be my favorite, but her greatness was supported by the variety of other “Dead Cat Tail Assassins” we meet throughout the story, each with their own unique fight style. Rounding out the cast was the target of Eveen’s assassination mission, a young woman with a connection to Eveen’s forgotten past that is shocking and propels the entire story forwards.
I enjoyed the heck out of this story! I sat down and read it one sitting (this is helped by it being a fairly short story), completely drawn in by the fast-moving plot and hilarious main character. I definitely recommend this one for all fantasy readers, especially those looking for an action-packed story that features a compelling leading lady!
Rating 9: Crackling with action and humor, I finished the last page wishing for only one thing: more!
Reader’s Advisory:
“The Dead Cat Tail Assassins” can be found on these Goodreads lists: Best Outside-the-box Speculative Fiction and Adult Fantasy/Sci-fi/Speculative Novellas by BIPOC Authors
The Library Ladies 