The Last Contract of Isako - by Fonda Lee

Book Synopsis

A battle-worn corporate samurai undertakes one last mission on a merciless planet where death is always a mere breath away, in this standalone dystopian epic from the author of the modern fantasy classic Jade City.

TO SERVE IS TO LIVE. ​TO LIVE IS TO DIE.

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.

The Last Contract of Isako is epic science fiction like only Fonda Lee can write it--set in a world where money trumps loyalty, the elite have the power to extend life or end it, and one woman in the twilight of her calling must decide what's ultimately worth living--or dying--for.

Review Quotes

Praise for the Green Bone Saga:

"Lee's storytelling is masterful and will leave readers heartbroken and hopeful. This series will stand as a pillar of epic fantasy and family drama." ―Library Journal (starred review) on Jade Legacy

"Sweeping, leisurely, and epic, and combines political intrigue with sharply choreographed action scenes, but it's a character-driven family drama at its heart."―Publishers Weekly (starred review) on Jade War

"[Lee] juggles the personal and the epic with deft, admirable skill, weaving a story that is equally sweeping and intimate; a magical, almost operatic crime and family drama that feels all the more true because all of her jade-fueled supermen (and women) come with human hearts that bend and break the same as ours." ―NPR on Jade War

"Jade City has it all: a beautifully realized setting, a great cast of characters, and dramatic action scenes. What a fun, gripping read!" ―Ann Leckie, Hugo, Nebula, and Arthur C. Clarke Award-winning author

"Stylish and action-packed, full of ambitious families and guilt-ridden loves, Jade City is an epic drama reminiscent of the best classic Hong Kong gangster films but set in a fantasy metropolis so gritty and well-imagined that you'll forget you're reading a book." ―Ken Liu, Hugo, Nebula, and World Fantasy Award-winning author

About the Author

Fonda Lee is an award-winning and New York Times bestselling fantasy and science fiction author. Her modern epic, the Green Bone Saga, has been translated into fifteen languages and was named one of Time magazine's 100 Best Fantasy Books of All Time. She is also the author of the novella Untethered Sky and several young adult novels: Zeroboxer, the Exo duology, and, cowritten with Shannon Lee, the Breathmarked duology. Fonda is a winner of the World Fantasy Award and the Locus Award, as well as a six-time winner of the Aurora Award and a finalist for the Nebula Award and the Hugo Award. A former corporate strategist and black belt martial artist, she hails from Canada and the Pacific Northwest and currently resides in New England.