Early Review – The Dead Cat Tail Assassins by P. Djeli Clark (5/5 stars)
Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Steampunk
Length: 208 pages
Publisher: Tordotcom
Release Date: August 6, 2024
ASIN: B0C1X74YSZ
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: eBook from NetGalley for Review
Rating: 5/5 stars
“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.”
Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone book. I got this on ebook from NetGalley for review.
Thoughts: I always love Clark’s novellas and this was no exception. The amount of world-building that happens in this small novella is impressive, and the characters are engaging and entertaining too.
The story takes place in Tal Abisi, an ancient city with a deep history of magic and mythology. I was incredible impressed by the world-building here and hope that future stories take place in this world. There is a subtle steampunk theme to this world but there is also magic and an intriguing structure of gods. We are reading the story from Eveen the Eviscerator’s point of view. She is a dead assassin who can’t remember her past, although her most recent target changes that. Now she is left struggling to figure out if she should break the third and most simple rule of the guild, “Once you accept a job, you must carry it out.”
I loved this. The premise is a bit crazy once you get in to the story. Eveen, and the characters that surround her, have amazing depth and are highly entertaining. I am always impressed by Clark’s ability to engage me with his characters so completely in such a short page space. Additionally, this is just a downright fun story. The action scenes are really well done, the dialogue is witty, and the mystery Eveen is trying to solve is complex and keeps you guessing.
I was incredibly impressed with every aspect of this story and douby impressed that all this was contained in this novella! This was incredibly readable and entertaining and my only complaint was that it was over too fast.
My Summary (5/5): Overall I absolutely loved this. The world-building, story, characters, and action in here are all amazing and innovative. I am stunned by the complexity of both the world and characters that are created in such a short page space without seeming confusing or info-dumpy. This was an entertaining and flat-out fun read that I really enjoyed. I hope we see future books set in the complex ancient city of Tal Abisi. I eagerly await Clark’s next story.
