New book about to drop! Well, sort of. Some news on the latest novella….good, slightly un-good, and otherwise.

The Dead Cat Tail Assassins are not cats.

Nor do they have tails.

But they are most assuredly dead.

That’s the new joint–with an odd name. That art, by the way, is by by Martina Fačková and it is absolutely DOPE AF!

Anybody who knows me knows I LOVE fantasy. I’ve loved fantasy since I first read The Hobbit in elementary school and went on devour the Narnia and Earthsea series. By the time I hit middle and high school, I’d graduated to those Dragonlance novels and endless Forgotten Realms books–from problematic dark elves, adventures in Icewind Dale, and weird stuff like Azure Bonds.

Sure, I liked—and still like—all the other genres of speculative fiction, from hard sci-fi to the supernatural. In fact, as an author, I’m probably best known for alternative histories that blend magic, steampunk, and more. But stories of other worlds brimming with magic, monsters, and fantastic beasties are what I’ve always gravitated to most. Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time, Steven Erickson’s Malazan books, Ken Liu’s Dandelion Throne series, NK Jemisin’s Inheritance Trilogy–I’m into all o’ dat! Like mac n’ cheese, that kinda fantasy is my comfort food.

So, gotta know I’m thrilled to get to share The Dead Cat Tail Assassins with the world. This is the first true fantasy book I’ve published, for adults anyway. I’m talking a wholly conceived secondary world with no history or geographic locales remotely familiar to our own. This is someplace else entirely. With its own rules and culture. And I get to fill it with all the magic, myth, and monsters I can dream up.

This story was absolute FUN to write. Yes, I have fun writing all my stories. Readers can see it in the humor I imbue in those tales, even when the topics are serious. But there was a different kind of freedom with The Dead Cat Tail Assassins. I wasn’t bound to our world. Or our histories. I wasn’t trying to deliver some deeper message on real-life colonialism or racism or the like. I set out to just tell a story that was fast-paced, punchy, full of action, thrills, and, when called-for, sheer hilarity.

That doesn’t mean its devoid of any meaning. My choice of a Black heroine—Eveen—is a political act itself, in a genre that has seen few such faces. I mean you see that cover right? Growing up, that was non-existent! The setting of Tal Abisi is also intentional: a dreamt-up city cobbled together with bits and pieces of the medieval Swahili city-states, the temples of Angkor Watt, the canals of Renaissance Venice, even the streets of Elizabethan London, with a cultural mix hinting at influences ranging from pre-Lenten Carnival to Jamaican patois. Because this is MY fantasy world, and who says I can’t break the usual tropes and rules?

Okay, now for the not so good news. The Dead Cat Tail Assassins was supposed to drop this month, March. But… yadda, yadda, yadda.. we got a new pub date: August, 6 2024.

What happened? Stuff. Stuff happened. Putting a book together requires lots of hands: me the author, editors, copyeditors, publicists, printers, centaurs, goblins, magical creatures from Fillory. And, for a myriad of reasons, sometimes things go pear shaped and stuff gets pushed back. You’re probably like, yeah but from March to August? That’s a big pushback! Hey, what can I tell you… lose your place in line, and you don’t just get a back-cut. There are other books by other authors waiting to be worked on, books coming out that can’t clash with your own, gotta find a new place in the queue at the printing warehouse, and all kinds of arcane alchemy I don’t pretend to understand. So, it’s August now. I apologize to readers who were looking forward to a Spring read. But I think the book you eventually get will be better for the delay. Hopefully you’ll still be excited to read it when it drops near the end of summer.

More below on The Dead Cat Tail Assassins, and words about it from some kind people.

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.

A Most Anticipated Book of 2024 According to Bookish, She Reads, Civilian Reader, and FanFiAddict

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.

“Clark has created another memorable and intriguing fantasy setting in this fast-paced novella, which will be a hit with fans and newcomers alike.”—Booklist, starred review

“This wildly surprising caper fantasy from Clark (A Master of Djinn) will keep readers on the edge of their seats working out who “dunit,” and how and why, as they explore the gritty underbelly of this world of living contracts, dead gods, and legal necromancy, reminiscent of Max Gladstone’s “Craft Sequence” and “Craft Wars” series. This will appeal to all lovers of urban fantasy.”—Library Journal, starred review

“Well crafted, exciting, darkly comic, and just gory enough.”—Kirkus

“Clark’s plot moves at a breakneck clip with quick wit, offbeat characters, and plenty of intrigue. This is pure entertainment.”—Publishers Weekly

“I first discovered P. Djèlí Clark’s work via his Dead Djinn Universe, and have been a happy follower of his work ever since. I was especially looking forward to trying this new novella, given how much I’ve enjoyed his past work. This book introduces a new world/setting, and it is excellent . . . . it exceeded my high expectations.”—Civilian Reader