Title: The Last Contract of Isako

Author: Fonda Lee

Series: N/A

Genre: Science Fiction

The Overview: 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. –Goodreads

Niki’s Review [3/5 stars]:

“Corporate Samurai in space” is how this story is being pitched. While the description is technically true, it evokes certain expectations for me that were absolutely not met. I had visions of warriors going toe-to-toe on some desolate moon in these intricate, cinematic fight scenes. Of rich cultures where the samurai way is the most prominent part of the plot. But other than the fact that the main character carried a sword through most of the book, you wouldn’t really know she was supposed to be a Samurai. She certainly didn’t fight much. And when she did there wasn’t anything particularly interesting about the interactions. By my reckoning, this was a slightly futuristic mystery that, for lack of decent world-building, may as well have taken place somewhere on earth.

So I feel a little let down.

That said, it’s a Fonda Lee, so it was written well. A mostly interesting crime investigation, things moved along at a good pace and I was at least mildly engaged the entire way through. Even though the story wasn’t really something I’d usually pick up, it was still an enjoyable read. There was one point in the middle where I was wondering how she was going to sustain the plot for a couple hundred more pages. But before I could lose momentum, there was a massive POV switch, which I didn’t like at first, but it ended up being exactly what the story needed to sustain itself.

I also always like Lee’s character work. Having Isako as a fifty-something “warrior” trying to retain her edge against the next generation was a great shift from the usual 20-somethings women we usually follow in these types of books. I didn’t get nearly as much depth or feel as much emotional investment as I did with her characters in Green Bone Saga, but I still enjoyed my time with them. And actually, swinging back to world-building, I ended up loving Green Bone, but my initial complaint was that it didn’t have enough of fantasy/magic components. It’s interesting that one of my main complaints here is that it doesn’t have enough scifi components for my tastes. In any case, I think fans of GBS will find a lot of things to like about Lee’s work here. But newcomers to the author would be much better off reading GBS instead of starting here.

One more thing – without spoilers, the ending left me with a lot of bigger-picture questions. The plot was so narrowly-focused on a few key players throughout, which is fine, but I found my interest lay more in the societal implications of what was happening. It was a bit dissatisfying to set the book down without any resolution there, and I feel it a somewhat missed opportunity for a more lasting impact. As it was though, that was apparently beyond the scope of the intended story…

If expectations hadn’t played a role, and if I’d been generally more interested in this type of book, I think I would’ve rated it a 4/5 stars. As it stands though, I’m sitting happy at a 3 star rating. I liked it, and at no point was I considering a DNF, but overall it was just a basically decent book with nothing remarkable for me to hang onto.

Thank you to my Patrons: Dave, Katrin, Frank, Jen, Karen, Sonja, Staci, Kat, Betsy, Eliss, Mike, Elizabeth, Bee, Poochtee, Kinsey, Alysa, Derek, Kelly, Grace, and Carmen! <3

Dave’s Review [4/5 stars]:

After reading Lee’s Green Bone Saga a couple of years ago, I vowed to read more of her books. When I read that her latest book was a cyberpunk samurai space opera, I was completely sold! The actual book is, in my opinion, not exactly that, or at least not exactly what I envision based on that description, even if it is technically accurate. However, it is a solid book regardless, and this is likely more an issue with my own expectations or the marketing of the book, rather than any problem with the writing itself.

The Last Contract of Isako might be considered a blend of genres. It is definitely science fiction for a number of reasons, but it also contains elements of fantasy/speculative fiction, as well as a bit of dystopian and noir. It is a strange mix, but the author’s talent manages to make this work smoothly and believably. Lee’s writing is efficient and easy to follow, yet has an understated elegance. I read this as an audiobook, which I am still relatively new to doing, so I do not yet have experience with many different narrators. In this case I found the narration to be just good, even if not particularly noteworthy.

One of the more interesting aspects of the novel is Lee’s choice of protagonist. She is an aging assassin in a world that has little sympathy for its elderly. As the title implies, Isako is on her last contract before retirement, and it turns out to be a wild one. The author effectively captures the weariness of a woman who has lived a hard life in an unforgiving world. This world is quite well fleshed out in many respects, effectively woven into the narrative without the need for lengthy exposition anywhere, at least as far as I can recall. My only real complaint in this regard is that the story never really takes full advantage of its setting. There are a couple of futuristic science fiction concepts that are important to the plot, but otherwise, it does not feel much like a space opera. The “samurai” element is also quite muted. Perhaps this was by design, but I would have preferred the story to have leaned into these things a little more, in some way or another. It ultimately works though, as so much of the politicking that is central to the story do not depend very much on these aspects.

The plot of the book is solid, and takes off from pretty early on in the story. The pacing is pretty good, with a few minor lulls, but nothing that drags the book down. There are a few revelations and major plot developments along the way, which are quite ingenious, although on occasion I felt that the abruptness with which they are conveyed robbed the story somewhat of the impact or emotional weight that it could have held.

The Last Contract of Isako is comparable to Lee’s Green Bone Saga in many ways, while also feeling like its own distinct world and story. This book also has the morally complex characters, the snappy dialogue, and a great deal of political conflict that seems to transcend the scope of the story itself. This is also a leaner story than the Green Bone Saga, contained within a single standalone book, and focusing largely on just one or two important characters instead of an entire family. This is a solid 4-star book that succeeds on most levels that I would recommend to anyone interested in political science fiction.

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