A review by laurareads87
The Dead Cat Tail Assassins by P. Djèlí Clark

adventurous dark funny medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

 P. Djèlí Clark is one of my absolute favourite authors writing SFF right now. He consistently delivers amazing characters, fascinating world-building, strong social justice oriented themes, and all around great stories – The Dead Cat Tail Assassins is no exception. 

The novella focuses on Eveen, an undead assassin hired by an anonymous client to kill a target who, when Eveen sees her... is impossible. What follows is an action-packed adventure as Eveen and friends try to figure out where this impossible target came from and the implications of the contract and Eveen’s fulfilling it (or not). How Clark gets this much character development and this level of action in so few pages I don’t know, but the result is so much fun. 

Clark’s representation of women – nuanced & believable queer female protagonists in particular – is something I’m always grateful for. I believe this novella is a standalone but I’d so happily more of Eveen and the Dead Cat Tail Assassins. 

Content warnings: death, gore, violence, injury detail, blood, body horror, animal death 
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