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.
One of the first rules of being an assassin is that the assassin must fulfill their contract. The consequences are extremely dire. Eveen has never failed to complete an assignment until the night she is told to kill a young woman who has what Eveen describes as an “impossible” face. The young woman, Sky, has Eveen’s own face, though a couple of decades younger. Even more puzzling, it seems as though Sky has been pulled some sixty years through time just to vex Eveen.
The Dead Cat Assassins unspools over the course of a few very exciting days during the middle of a city-wide festival. Eveen and Sky race back and forth across the city, seeking witnesses and answers and—above all—a way out of this mess that doesn’t see them all suffering Aeril’s fiery punishments. Along the way, there are other assassins out to kill both of them, a ghastly conspiracy, revenge, and one of the most stunning and audacious conclusions I’ve seen in ages. This book was absolutely perfect and I strongly recommend it to any fans of fantasy, especially the ones who want something more than the usual epic slog.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley, for review consideration.