It’s HERE! My latest novella is on the shelves. Let’s talk about!!!

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’s out RIGHT NOW! That art, by the way, is by by Martina Fačková and it is absolutely DOPE AF!

I love fantasy. I’ve loved fantasy probably 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. Sure, I liked—and still like—all the other genres of speculative fiction, from hard sci-fi to the supernatural. But stories of other worlds brimming with magic, monsters, and fantastic beasties are what I’ve always gravitated to most. It’s my comfort food.

So, imagine how thrilled I am to get to share The Dead Cat Tail Assassins with the world. My past books for grown folk have dabbled in everything from alternate history to steampunk to Southern gothic horror. But this is the first true fantasy book I’ve published. 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.

The Dead Cat Tail Assassins tells the story of Eveen, a worker of the deadly arts of assassination. Skilled, discreet, professional, she and her fellow dealers in death are here for your most pressing needs in the sprawling port 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. She’s just here to do the work.

Second, even the most powerful assassin may only kill the contracted. Eveen’s a professional. She’s never missed her mark.

The third, simplest, and most important: once you accept a job, you must carry it out. And if you stray? There’s quite literally hell to pay. And a final death would be a mercy.

But 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.

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. As I pitched it to my editor, this is John Wick meets Dungeons & Dragons.

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. 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?

For fans of my past published novels and novellas, this will be a different read. Though for those more familiar with my short stories, they might catch that this story is set in a much larger world I’ve been working in for some time. None of the characters are the same. Not even the setting. But, there are names given of far-flung places or distant people on which those previous stories were centered that hint of connections. But I’ll leave it up to discerning eyes to piece together. Let me know if you do!

Mostly, I want readers to have FUN with this title—as much FUN as you can possibly have, with undead hired killers, soul-binding contracts, and vengeful gods. Eveen is a heroine to root for: sarcastic, flippant, irreverent, full of quips, and with a penchant for dark humor and outlandish comic books. She’s also nice with a blade, and one of the best at what she’s contracted to do. Joining her are a colorful cast of characters—from a foodie with the most eclectic tastes to a well-traveled guild boss with the gift of storytelling to a giant necromantic skeleton you should not tick off. Most important is a girl named Sky with an impossible face, who on the night of the Festival of the Clockwork King, will upend Eveen’s world. And possibly end it.

More below on what some very nice people have to say about The Dead Cat Tail Assassins.

“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

​”The richness of detail that Clark provides gives the whole thing something of the flavor of a hardboiled mystery set in New Orleans during Mardi Gras. . . . Clark is adept at balancing his central mystery with quirky character development and enough witty details to suggest that Tal Abisi has its own versions of science and pop culture. . . . In short, Tal Abisi is far more textured than a generic fantasy stage setting, just as Eveen is far more complex than most of those lurking assassins who have become nearly an archetype of fantasy novels and games. Prickly as she may be, we end up thinking we’d like to know about her (just as she’d like to know more about herself), and to spend a bit more time exploring the colorful mean streets of Tal Abisi.​”—​Locus

“In this stiletto-sharp book, Clark’s prose is as tight and efficient as it has been throughout his career, replacing the genre’s penchant for over-articulation with wit and incisiveness. . . If you, like me, prefer your dark fantasy to focus on the clever and subtle construction of its world, The Dead Cat Tail Assassins has much to sink your teeth into. And yes, there are also magic swords, walking, skeletal monstrosities, necromancy, poison, high magic, and explosions. Take your pick.”—Ancillary Review of Books

“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