Quick Synopsis – Isako is a legendary swordswoman, but every legend must 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 death. But when she’s offered a final mission, she can’t refuse, especially when she realizes who lies at the center of it all: Martim, her last—and worst—apprentice, who’s somehow made his way to the top. As she’s thrust into a world of corporate espionage and shadowy secrets, what she uncovers could forever change humanity’s existence among the stars.

Song This Reminds Me Of – Immortals by Fall Out Boy

Publication Date – May 5, 2026

Bookshop Link – The Last Contract of Isako by Fonda Lee

Content Notes – The main character is a contract worker where murder is a pretty big part of her job. So there is death, blood, other bodily fluids, chronic illness, and some light sexual content.

Rating – ⭐⭐⭐.5 out of 5

Review – This is a standalone science fiction novel, though I could easily see how it could be either a series that focused on the characters or on the planet as it develops. This planet is a colony from Earth, only they haven’t had any contact from Earth in hundreds of years. The planet is ruled by The Company and The Executive, there is a separate entity that trains and licenses contractors. Contractors are expected to be skilled advisors, negotiators, swords-people, and whatever else a client might need. Isako is known for her skills both with the sword and with her words. When her client resigns, she thinks it might be the end of her time as an atelier. It turns out she has one more contract.

There are two major parties throughout the book, people who want to continue to terraform Aquilo (the planet they’re on) and people who want to reunite with Earth through communication and eventually space travel. Isako’s last job is to try to prevent an eccentric terraforming candidate from ascending to the board. Her contract has her becoming a detective as she tries to figure out what happened to an old apprentice and partners up with an even older partner. I loved how Isako struggled with her the ending of her career and what she wanted to leave as her legacy. On Aquilo there are many ways to die, but one way is suicide by leaving the airshield. This isn’t seen as selfish or disgraceful, but as an option for people to go out on their own terms. Since there are limited resources if a person chooses to resign in this way, their salary and other benefits are often increased and given to their next of kin. There are also recordings people can leave behind that are accessible long after death.

The family systems were also incredibly interesting to me. People had their birth families and their kith. Kith were households with stay-at-home parents and children. Family units were a mix of blood and kith; it was such a good example of the village it takes to raise a family. I felt like this novel had so many levels, I kind of hope Fonda Lee writes more novels set in this world, because I love the society she built. I also loved the political intrigue and that Isako was really seeing what her world was capable of. Isako had been a contractor her whole life and had termed (killed) workers in the name of the company. Now at 50 she’s really peeling back some of the curtains to see the ugly. Honestly, one of the only reasons this isn’t a 5 star read is the pace. I fell asleep reading this more than once.

I definitely recommend this to anyone who loves a good hard science fiction novel.

Thanks to NetGalley and Orbit for the advanced copy, all opinions are my own.