The Dead Cat Tail Assassins

by

eBook, 208 pages

Published Aug. 6, 2024 by Tordotcom.

ASIN:
B0C1X74YSZ
4 stars (6 reviews)

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.

2 editions

reviewed The Dead Cat Tail Assassins by P. Djèlí Clark

A wonderful story set in a world with undead assassins

4 stars

A wonderful story set in a fantasy world where some dead people are now undead assassins, bonded to a guild. This story follows one particular assassin who has been given a job but finds herself unable to complete it. This causes all kinds of complications for in this world, assassins are 'agents' of a god of assassins (and, for a funny reason, cooking). And once an assassination has been contracted, the contract must be fulfilled or the god will get very angry.

As the assassin tries to figure a way out of the dilemma, while being chased by her fellow assassins, she starts to get clues that this particular job was a set-up, done by a person who may have a grudge against her. As time runs out, she may have no choice but to confront the person and hope that she can figure a way out of the situation …

reviewed The Dead Cat Tail Assassins by P. Djèlí Clark

Fun fantasy

4 stars

Fun fantasy romp involving assassins and shenanigans I can't mention because spoilers. My first P. Djèlí Clark book and I really enjoyed it. The characters were fun, the word building interesting and though it had a slight stumble here and there overall the pace was great. Will definitely be reading more of P. Djèlí Clark's writing, I can't wait to see what a full novel reads like.

reviewed The Dead Cat Tail Assassins by P. Djèlí Clark

The Dead Cat Tail Assassins

4 stars

This is a quick romp of a novella. I know it's overused to call something a romp these days, but this truly is a whirlwind of action, humor, and snark. The amount of banter and fight scenes make it feel like it's material that would also make a good comic, but I also quite enjoyed the unfolding mystery and worldbuilding.

This is also a much funnier book than a lot of Clark's previous work. There's ongoing jokes about assassin rules ("Assassin rule 305: always be ready to torch your safe house"). There's some great banter about work friends vs actual friends. I was also amused that Aeril also runs really good restaurants (due to the knife connection), and one of the assassin bureaucrats is a foodie trying to angle their way into the restaurant business.

reviewed The Dead Cat Tail Assassins by P. Djèlí Clark

The Dead Cat Tail Assassins, by P. Djèlí Clark

4 stars

There are very clear rules about being an assassin and Eveen the Eviscerator (it was one time, she says) follows them very carefully. After all, being an assassin is the only reason that she’s alive…well, not actually alive. She’s undead. In her first life, she made a promise to serve Aeril, the Matron of Assassins, for one hundred years. In P. Djèlí Clark’s beautifully plotted and highly entertaining novella, The Dead Cat Tail Assassins, we get to witness Eveen’s greatest caper...

Read the rest of my review at A Bookish Type. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley, for review consideration.

avatar for ghosttie

rated it

5 stars