Hello, everyone! Today I’m reviewing one of my most anticipated releases of the year, The Last Contract of Isako by Fonda Lee. Anyone following this blog for a while probably already knows about my undying love for The Green Bone Saga. So, obviously I had to pick up this new standalone science fiction by Fonda Lee. Also, who could say no to that cover? Seriously. Anyway… read on to see if the book lived up to my incredibly lofty expectations!
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.
***Thank you to Orbit Books for providing an advanced copy of the book via NetGalley. My review contains my honest thoughts about my reading experience.***
The Last Contract of Isako felt like a punch to the gut. Everything about it was so bleak, and I was honestly a bit horrified by this potential future for humanity. It seemed to take everything wrong with the world today and dial it all the way up. Although, seeing an entire society based on extreme corporatocracy was eye opening and provided a thought-provoking warning about what could be to come if corporate power is not curbed.
Isako was such a compelling character. I love stories with protagonists that are older in age, mature, and more than a bit world-weary. Seeing her at the end of her very decorated career was such an interesting point in time to jump into her story. At the start, she was loyal to her agency’s code and the company and felt like a very by-the-book, work-obsessed person. She was willing to give up her life to conserve resources for the company once her final job was finished. Over the course of her last contract, pretty much everything fell apart, but through it she learned a very valuable lesson. Corporations and the powerful people in charge of them don’t care how hard you work for them. They will replace you in a second. Her journey brilliantly highlighted that the most important things in life are the small moments with people you care about and that human life is valuable on its own regardless of “productivity.”
The setting in The Last Contract of Isako was equal parts fascinating and disturbing. This colony on a distant planet had lost contact with Earth centuries ago and was left to fend for itself on an inhospitable world. From this hardship arose a society that treated people as expendable if they weren’t useful, which was super harsh and awful but also a testament to human ingenuity and its survival instinct above all else. Everything was run by the Company, which had a board of directors made up by weird cyborgs obsessed with extending their lives and power. The different Divisions jockeying for resources was literally a life and death game, and I really liked the concept of the corporate samurai contracting their services to provide assistance and advice in navigating all of the politics. There was a lot of corporate politics in this book with the contractors as key players, which wasn’t what I was expecting when I saw this was a book about samurai. However, I liked reading about all of the inter- and intra- company dynamics, espionage, and absolutely fierce lengths to which the contractors would go to achieve their goals. It reminded me a bit of the Green Bone Saga and all of the political and corporate machinations between the two clans.
Now on to the plot and story structure. For the first half of The Last Contract of Isako, I really thought the story was headed in a particular direction. It followed Isako as she attempted to complete her last contract of keeping a certain nominee off the board of directors. She tried to dig up dirt on him and found that the murder of her last apprentice may have been ordered by the nominee. Then things got personal, and she tried to find out exactly what happened to the apprentice and avenge him. I was totally down for that story and had a lot of fun following Isako as she unraveled the mystery. Then the shift in POV happened, and God did it pack a punch. It interrupted the flow of the story, but it also added so much more depth to the characters and the story’s themes. I don’t think the fantastic ending would have hit nearly as hard if the POV shift didn’t happen, even if the change was a bit awkward at first. The big reveal at the end hit me like a ton of bricks, too, and really turned the entire story into an allegory about how the elite control the masses by stoking conflict that ultimately means nothing in the end. I do wish Isako had used her wits to learn the information somehow, though, rather than just flat out being told by her superiors after everything was said and done.
All in all, I had a great time reading The Last Contract of Isako. Lee’s writing was as exceptional as always, and I’m in awe of her ability to build a harsh world/society that I both hate for how it treats its people and begrudgingly admire for its efficiency in keeping humanity alive against all odds. This story and its characters provided so much thought-provoking content, and I’m sure this will be one that sticks in my head for a while. Therefore, I rate the book 4.75 out of 5 stars.
There you have it! My thoughts on The Last Contract of Isako by Fonda Lee. Have you read The Last Contract of Isako yet? Let me know your thoughts down in the comments!