The Last Contract of Isako by Fonda Lee Published by Orbit on May 5, 2026
Genres: Fantasy, Science Fiction
Pages: 528
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Source: Orbit Books
Get ready to be blown away by this searing standalone space opera where corporate samurai fight beneath merciless stars, and death is always a mere breath away.
Isako is a legendary swordswoman, but every legend has to come to an end. When her long-time client unexpectedly retires, she plans to follow--to walk out into the frozen wasteland of their planet with her head held high and her family enriched by her legacy. But when a competitor offers her a final mission, it's one she can't refuse. Soon, she's thrust deep into a world of corporate espionage, duty-bound duels, and shadowy secrets. What she uncovers will change humanity's existence in the stars forever.
The Last Contract of Isako is the space opera you didn't know you needed: corporate samurai... in space. This is the first adult science fiction novel from the award-winning author of Jade City.
The Last Contract of Isako is a difficult novel for me to rate. It has so many things I love—a strong heroine in her later years, a male character who wields cunning more effectively than his triggersheath, and incredibly interesting world building. Unfortunately, that same world building that I found so fascinating was also, well, depressing.
“To Serve is to Live. To live is to die.”
It’s hard to read a science fiction or fantasy novel where elites rule the world… and not feel it resonate with our own. It’s harder still when it feels even bleaker. This is not an escapist novel, it’s a story of acceptance and what that looks like for different people. In other words, readers looking for unequivocally happy endings may want to look elsewhere.
The story takes place on Aquilo, a planet protected by the inhospitable atmosphere, known as The Vastness, by an Airshield. Aquilo is cut off from the rest of the universe and Earth is more a curse word than anything else. We meet our protagonist, Isako, as she is sent by her boss, one of the elite, to tell a man that his time is up, and inform him that he must walk into The Vastness or be killed by her. There simply aren’t enough resources to go around. Families hopelessly gather to watch their loved ones walk to their deaths, knowing they or their children will inevitably share the same fate.
“This accursed planet has always tried to break the human spirit, but it keeps failing. I don’t want to die—but I’ve been a partner of death for long enough that I’m not trying to cheat it either.”
In stark contrast, the elite not only live out their first lives, but also enter a second stage where they are recorporalized into mechanical or “synth” bodies known derogatorily as “jar brains.” This concept of having your essence transferred into a fancy human-like vehicle should sound ridiculous, but author Fonda Lee makes it feel completely possible. She describes their stillness and general uncanniness in a way that is remarkably unsettling. The moral quandaries involving the technology felt especially relevant with the rise of AI.
“We’re all just brains wrapped in meat….You’re just nearer to your expiry date.”
One of my favorite parts in every science fiction or fantasy novel is the cost of whatever technology or magic is being used. Lee explores this cost at length, in a way that somehow still manages to highlight humanity, even when it’s being unbearably callous. It is truly remarkable storytelling and the mastery of the author’s craft is fully on display here. The jar brains and all of the philosophical questions raised by them were by far my favorite part of The Last Contract of Isako.
The elements of mystery were also a highlight for me. When Isako finds herself with a new boss, one of these second stagers, she vows to complete this last contract before voluntarily walking to her death. It truly is the familiar “death before dishonor,” for “atiers” like her who live by The Code. When Isako begins her new contract to stop an elite called Uchi from joining The Board that governs the planet, she discovers that her former student, Matrim, has gone missing while serving directly under him.
“The line between who you think you are and who you could be is awfully fucking thin.”
Isako finds she cares a lot more than she thought she was able. It’s truly profound watching this fifty something legend with stiff, achy knees discover that she hadn’t been living—not really—and that there is more to existence than how quickly she can draw her triggersheath. Her former co-worker, Kob, gently guides her to the realization that there is more to life than the “edge life” she is living, and aids her in investigating the disappearance of her student and his connection to the machinations of the elites.
I don’t want to spoil too much about the world and its characters, but all of them are flawed, complex characters with interesting motivations. There are fight scenes in The Last Contract of Isako, but the true battles in this novel are ones of the mind. Everyone is scheming and trying to outsmart one another to get what they want, and most are actively grappling with their own inner demons. Isako’s bone-deep world weariness leaps off the page, in a quiet single-minded exhaustion that only experience can wreak.
Though I love political intrigue, it all admittedly feels hopeless in a world where everyone knows their expiration date is looming. When a twist is revealed, I felt sick along with the characters, and a sense of bitterness that I, too, should have expected the truth all along. Throughout all of it, the reactions of the characters resonated with me, a tired millennial who has lived through a few too many historical events for her liking.
The darker themes weren’t the only challenge. The pacing of the novel has noticeable highs and lows. There were high intensity moments followed by a lot of much slower-paced interactions, visits with family members, descriptions of food, business meetings, and whatnot. While this certainly fleshes out the world and gives readers more time to get attached to the characters and sympathize with each of their plights, I wished things moved a little faster, or at least more consistently.
And while I was always interested to see what happened next, I felt like there was plenty of exposition that could have been cut in this novel. I found this to be an unusual experience compared to others of the author’s, which I feel are carefully paced and tightly written. Admittedly, I’ve only read two other of Fonda Lee’s novels (I loved both Untethered Sky and Breath of the Dragon), so I can’t speak to this novel’s similarity or differences to her famous Green Bone saga (I’ll get to it one of these days, I swear!)
“There are only two ways for people like us to be satisfied in the end. We choose death, or we choose power. Now you know where power leads.”
I do think there is a lot to appreciate in The Last Contract of Isako. Though it reads like a fantasy novel that just happened to take place on a planet other than Earth, there are plenty of interesting science fiction elements. This makes it a great read for people who prefer one over the other, or enjoy both. As someone who usually reaches for fantasy over science fiction herself, the novel had just the right amount of science fiction elements, without all of those super intensive technological explanations that are found in a lot of science fiction novels.
I would definitely recommend this novel to readers who enjoy their science fiction and fantasy on the grimmer, more realistic side of things. Readers who enjoyed Meghan E. O’Keefe’s The Blighted Stars will find similar concepts here, particularly in its exploration of power and survival. Fans of Blood Over Bright Haven will also recognize its focus on the cost of magical technology. Ultimately, I think The Last Contract of Isako is going to be a divisive read, one that either works for readers or just doesn’t. Will I find myself rereading this book in a few years? Probably not. But am I glad I read it? Absolutely.
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Robin is reviewing this one next Monday.
Anne – Books of My Heart
I’ll watch for her review! 💙