Hardcover, 224 pages
English language
Published Jan. 1, 2024 by Tordotcom.
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.
Always a pleasure to read P Djèlí Clark, he knows how to make his stories and writing fun, highly imaginative and impossible to put down.
Ok, this is very subjective, but I felt a bit let down by this book. I can't help feeling like there is around 10-20 pages worth of text missing. The calm scenes are well written and well described, but pivotal scenes crucial to the story feels like sketches.
As an example; when the action is ramping up, the writing starts to feel rushed and I loose track over how the characters move in relation to each other. One is holding the other, no they are apart, now they are close again, no they are a distance from each other. Somebody is suddenly stabbing someone, something happens, explosion. It is like the author is so excited to write about this cool action sequence that he forgets we can't see the same images he has in his head.
I remember getting the same feeling from some of the writing in A Master …
Ok, this is very subjective, but I felt a bit let down by this book. I can't help feeling like there is around 10-20 pages worth of text missing. The calm scenes are well written and well described, but pivotal scenes crucial to the story feels like sketches.
As an example; when the action is ramping up, the writing starts to feel rushed and I loose track over how the characters move in relation to each other. One is holding the other, no they are apart, now they are close again, no they are a distance from each other. Somebody is suddenly stabbing someone, something happens, explosion. It is like the author is so excited to write about this cool action sequence that he forgets we can't see the same images he has in his head.
I remember getting the same feeling from some of the writing in A Master of Djinn as well. But maybe it is just me.
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 …
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 without becoming dead again.
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.
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 the Matron of Assassins 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.
A light read with a lot of “rule of cool” action within some interesting world building. The numerous assassin fight scenes felt like video game boss battles to me, but each one is unique and there is a crafted mystery here to be solved. And it is a juicy mystery that unfolds piece by piece. Yet I’m still stuck on the final ending sentences (no spoilers) because it felt out of character and added more for aesthetics.
It has been SO RARE to read fantasy that is based on Black & African traditions. I am so delighted that P. Djéli Clark has woven yet another set of worlds that is delightful & action packed. I feel this is a book that would be suitable for young teens and above. What a wonderful tale. Not one dull moment.
