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Insider
Yang Lin is a rising star at Hauser Incorporated, one of the three corporations that rule Earth. But Lin has a secret that could destroy everything she’s worked to achieve.
She wasn’t born on Earth, but on a refugee ship fleeing a faraway colony. Lin has lived her whole life in two worlds, associating with other refugees from the colonies at home but passing as a successful Earth-born woman at work and school.
Now Lin has to choose.
Her mother and a group of fellow colonists have a plan to get more refugees past the deadly defenses guarding Earth, and they need Lin’s help. Joining the cause could mean losing everything—even her life. Refusing to help will mean the death of thousands from her homeworld.
Meanwhile, unbeknownst to Lin, someone powerful is about to blow her cover. In Insider, a gripping sci-fi thriller, Lin’s next move could save her people or doom them all.
She wasn’t born on Earth, but on a refugee ship fleeing a faraway colony. Lin has lived her whole life in two worlds, associating with other refugees from the colonies at home but passing as a successful Earth-born woman at work and school.
Now Lin has to choose.
Her mother and a group of fellow colonists have a plan to get more refugees past the deadly defenses guarding Earth, and they need Lin’s help. Joining the cause could mean losing everything—even her life. Refusing to help will mean the death of thousands from her homeworld.
Meanwhile, unbeknownst to Lin, someone powerful is about to blow her cover. In Insider, a gripping sci-fi thriller, Lin’s next move could save her people or doom them all.
317 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 17, 2025
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13 people want to read
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December 11, 2025I am one of the judges of team Space Girls for the SPSFC5 contest. This review is my personal opinion. Officially, it is still in the running for the contest, pending any official team announcements.
Status: Pending
Read: 34%
I believe this is my third book during the scouting phase where I am unsure whether to cut immediately or vote yes.
An unspecified time before the plot begins (although the book hints 150 years ago at the most), Earth entered some kind of dark era with massive species extinction events. Given this extinction affected food and animals, starvation forced a part of humanity to flee to various 'close enough' planets. So far, the book mentions New Palau, Rosgov and Britton. Rosgov was founded by agnostic Eastern European scientists and is probably the most prosperous of the three planets. The landscape is desertic but mostly livable. New Palau has pretty mountains but there is something about the atmosphere that causes horrible purple skin burns on seemingly everyone. Britton has not been explored yet outside of the people running it are violent thugs and the place is a lawless mess.
The book has 2 protagonists: Lin Yang and a guy named Cenric Smith. I quite liked Lin Yang because I sometimes see a bit of myself in her due to being a migrant. Like plenty of child migrants that end up in a place where society forces you to blend in, Lin excels in this task and everyone assumes she's a native born Earthian. However, her adoption registry is a forgery and her true name is Nadya. She was born on a spaceship alongside illegal Rosgov migrants and registered on Earth using the adoption loophole. Growing up in an apartment complex with illegals, she seemingly knows how to recognize them while living on the fence in between both societies. Things change when she is randomly selected for a highly prized 1st class corporate cop job that might pit her yearning for Earthian acceptance with her filial ties.
Cenric's story is less appealling. He's the coddled middle aged son of a higher up oligarch. Instead of getting a cushy job behind the scenes, he ends up getting lower prestige secretarial jobs in exchange for the rare change to visit Mars every few months for the mega corporation meeting events. Which in reality, seem more like Bunga Bunga parties with lots of partying and none of the working. The book never explains why his father's political image isn't tarnished by Cenric's unwanted presence in the big leagues. From his reckless impulsivity, his father would know he's addicted to some kind of drug called shav. A frenemy of Cenric lands him a new mystery job with full security clearance... only for him for the frenemy to die before telling him what he's planned to do.
Meanwhile, a violent faction of illegal migrants are targetting higher up corporate employees in coordinated terrorist attacks. Will the 3 plots convene?
For a debut, the book is certainly ambitious and occasionally reminded me of Vermillion Flames by Adam Fernandez and Icon-Violet by Simon Fay. The story is pretty intriguing, although I do feel it tends to spoonfeed information a tad bit too much at times. We occasionally get wikipedia summary background information of tertiary characters that only appear for 2 scenes. This bogged down the pace a lot. Which being a thriller, has a bit of genre expectations where every scene has to be critical to the plot. In this book's case, quite a bit of background information of Janitor #5 could have been cut in later editing rounds and just mention in passing dialogue or behavior the importance of the mini infodump. It becomes obvious plotwise New Palauians always have unsightly purple scars, so explaining a bit too much felt unneeded. Looking back, I am surprised this book is a thriller because it feels more like space opera. Readers that like their thrillers to not feel uber fast will however like this book's slower pace.
I still have around 12 more books to scout, but I will likely read this book further and make my vote within the following 6 weeks.
Status: Pending
Read: 34%
I believe this is my third book during the scouting phase where I am unsure whether to cut immediately or vote yes.
An unspecified time before the plot begins (although the book hints 150 years ago at the most), Earth entered some kind of dark era with massive species extinction events. Given this extinction affected food and animals, starvation forced a part of humanity to flee to various 'close enough' planets. So far, the book mentions New Palau, Rosgov and Britton. Rosgov was founded by agnostic Eastern European scientists and is probably the most prosperous of the three planets. The landscape is desertic but mostly livable. New Palau has pretty mountains but there is something about the atmosphere that causes horrible purple skin burns on seemingly everyone. Britton has not been explored yet outside of the people running it are violent thugs and the place is a lawless mess.
The book has 2 protagonists: Lin Yang and a guy named Cenric Smith. I quite liked Lin Yang because I sometimes see a bit of myself in her due to being a migrant. Like plenty of child migrants that end up in a place where society forces you to blend in, Lin excels in this task and everyone assumes she's a native born Earthian. However, her adoption registry is a forgery and her true name is Nadya. She was born on a spaceship alongside illegal Rosgov migrants and registered on Earth using the adoption loophole. Growing up in an apartment complex with illegals, she seemingly knows how to recognize them while living on the fence in between both societies. Things change when she is randomly selected for a highly prized 1st class corporate cop job that might pit her yearning for Earthian acceptance with her filial ties.
Cenric's story is less appealling. He's the coddled middle aged son of a higher up oligarch. Instead of getting a cushy job behind the scenes, he ends up getting lower prestige secretarial jobs in exchange for the rare change to visit Mars every few months for the mega corporation meeting events. Which in reality, seem more like Bunga Bunga parties with lots of partying and none of the working. The book never explains why his father's political image isn't tarnished by Cenric's unwanted presence in the big leagues. From his reckless impulsivity, his father would know he's addicted to some kind of drug called shav. A frenemy of Cenric lands him a new mystery job with full security clearance... only for him for the frenemy to die before telling him what he's planned to do.
Meanwhile, a violent faction of illegal migrants are targetting higher up corporate employees in coordinated terrorist attacks. Will the 3 plots convene?
For a debut, the book is certainly ambitious and occasionally reminded me of Vermillion Flames by Adam Fernandez and Icon-Violet by Simon Fay. The story is pretty intriguing, although I do feel it tends to spoonfeed information a tad bit too much at times. We occasionally get wikipedia summary background information of tertiary characters that only appear for 2 scenes. This bogged down the pace a lot. Which being a thriller, has a bit of genre expectations where every scene has to be critical to the plot. In this book's case, quite a bit of background information of Janitor #5 could have been cut in later editing rounds and just mention in passing dialogue or behavior the importance of the mini infodump. It becomes obvious plotwise New Palauians always have unsightly purple scars, so explaining a bit too much felt unneeded. Looking back, I am surprised this book is a thriller because it feels more like space opera. Readers that like their thrillers to not feel uber fast will however like this book's slower pace.
I still have around 12 more books to scout, but I will likely read this book further and make my vote within the following 6 weeks.
April 7, 2025
Insider is a great read!
Lin, the main character is everything you want in a female heroine. The other characters forward the plot, with twist and turns, that make it a thrill to ride along with.
It has everything, great plot, wonderfully flawed characters, and great pacing. This is a thrilling, fast paced book with a feel good ending. Don't miss it!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Lin, the main character is everything you want in a female heroine. The other characters forward the plot, with twist and turns, that make it a thrill to ride along with.
It has everything, great plot, wonderfully flawed characters, and great pacing. This is a thrilling, fast paced book with a feel good ending. Don't miss it!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
April 22, 2025
Fight for Survival . . .
Directorate Soldiers arrived in the night to Beijing, checking everyone’s Identifications. The residents of Beijing’s darkest corners reach out across Mindlink to warn each other of the arriving force. Yang Lin is among the last to get the message through the web of neural implants as Sammy Chen contacts her. She then warns her mother, Sabohat Iskakova, a skilled weapons engineer who knew this would be happening soon. They were not there yet, so Sabohat armed herself and went out to deal with the situation. An enforcer, Yang Lin is sworn to protect the corporations that rule Earth. But with the attack imminent, she must respond and help her people to survive, if she can. What no one knows is that Yang Lin was not born on Earth. Her mother gave birth to her on a refugee ship fleeing a faraway colony. Lin looks like an Earth-born human. But her people need her now. Her mother has a plan and Lin must be part of it. Will she agree and risk her life for the other colonists who have been hiding on Earth? Thousands will die if she doesn’t help them. And what will happen to her when she is betrayed and her identity is uncovered?
The storyline has all the elements you could want to make this an exciting, compelling sci-fi adventure. The story is well written, easy to read with a fast-paced action plot that grabs the reader from the start and doesn't let go. The setting is well developed with lots of nuances to it that provide a little surprise around every corner. The characters are also excellent, particularly our heroine. I like strong female leads and our heroine exemplifies that. Grab your copy and find out what choices she must make and who will ultimately survive!
Directorate Soldiers arrived in the night to Beijing, checking everyone’s Identifications. The residents of Beijing’s darkest corners reach out across Mindlink to warn each other of the arriving force. Yang Lin is among the last to get the message through the web of neural implants as Sammy Chen contacts her. She then warns her mother, Sabohat Iskakova, a skilled weapons engineer who knew this would be happening soon. They were not there yet, so Sabohat armed herself and went out to deal with the situation. An enforcer, Yang Lin is sworn to protect the corporations that rule Earth. But with the attack imminent, she must respond and help her people to survive, if she can. What no one knows is that Yang Lin was not born on Earth. Her mother gave birth to her on a refugee ship fleeing a faraway colony. Lin looks like an Earth-born human. But her people need her now. Her mother has a plan and Lin must be part of it. Will she agree and risk her life for the other colonists who have been hiding on Earth? Thousands will die if she doesn’t help them. And what will happen to her when she is betrayed and her identity is uncovered?
The storyline has all the elements you could want to make this an exciting, compelling sci-fi adventure. The story is well written, easy to read with a fast-paced action plot that grabs the reader from the start and doesn't let go. The setting is well developed with lots of nuances to it that provide a little surprise around every corner. The characters are also excellent, particularly our heroine. I like strong female leads and our heroine exemplifies that. Grab your copy and find out what choices she must make and who will ultimately survive!
spsfc3-4-5
January 27, 2026Read approx 25% of INSIDER as a judge (Space Girls) for SPSFC5. Opinion/rating is my own.
This will be a N/cut from me (though this does not necessarily mean its out of competition with other judges to give their verdict)
This is the 3rd book I've read in the competition so far that big corporations tyrannically run and control society. There are of course people who rebel against this and in trying to find any way to disrupt control they find Lin. Daughter of an outworlder, Lin uses an alias to keep a low profile from authorities. She gets offered a job inside one of these big corporations and the rebels see her as their chance to bring things down from the inside.
On the opposite side we have Cenric, the drug addicted son of one of the top echelons of one of the corporations. He knows something is wrong within the ruling corps as a friend of his dies whilst trying to pass on information.
This is usually the type of book I enjoy, the suppressed rising up against tyranny but sadly this one was a miss for me. I couldn't connect with any of our main protagonists nor any of the rebels. Everybody seemed to lack emotional depth, in fact the only time I felt any connection with a character it was Cenric self medicating to deal with stress. This though was also an issue, it was evident he was an addict but his Father gave him a job with supposed responsibility, or was this job just a ploy to keep an eye on him.
This will be a N/cut from me (though this does not necessarily mean its out of competition with other judges to give their verdict)
This is the 3rd book I've read in the competition so far that big corporations tyrannically run and control society. There are of course people who rebel against this and in trying to find any way to disrupt control they find Lin. Daughter of an outworlder, Lin uses an alias to keep a low profile from authorities. She gets offered a job inside one of these big corporations and the rebels see her as their chance to bring things down from the inside.
On the opposite side we have Cenric, the drug addicted son of one of the top echelons of one of the corporations. He knows something is wrong within the ruling corps as a friend of his dies whilst trying to pass on information.
This is usually the type of book I enjoy, the suppressed rising up against tyranny but sadly this one was a miss for me. I couldn't connect with any of our main protagonists nor any of the rebels. Everybody seemed to lack emotional depth, in fact the only time I felt any connection with a character it was Cenric self medicating to deal with stress. This though was also an issue, it was evident he was an addict but his Father gave him a job with supposed responsibility, or was this job just a ploy to keep an eye on him.
April 28, 2025
Insider by K.B. Gazeena is a sharply written, thought-provoking science fiction thriller set in a future Earth where corporate power eclipses governments and loyalty is currency. With a world that feels richly plausible and characters grappling with impossible choices, Gazeena delivers a high-stakes narrative that deftly blends espionage, identity, and social commentary.
At the center of the story is Yang Lin, a young woman who has successfully navigated the corporate labyrinth of Hauser Incorporated while concealing a life-altering secret: she was born not on Earth, but aboard a refugee ship fleeing a destroyed colony. Gazeena hooks the reader immediately with the novel’s vivid opening—an intense sweep by Directorate soldiers through the dark corners of Beijing, where Lin and her mother hide in the cracks of a gleaming, corporate-run world. “They pour from their vehicles like a swarm of red ants,” the author writes, setting a tense, foreboding tone that rarely lets up.
Lin’s struggle is deeply personal yet undeniably epic: should she risk everything she’s built for the slim hope of helping her fellow refugees? Or does she protect her own hard-won life by staying silent? Gazeena captures this internal war with skill, layering Lin’s moments of guilt, love, fear, and ambition in a way that feels authentic and painful. Sabohat, Lin’s mother, is a standout character as well—her blend of fierce maternal instinct, quiet strength, and hard-won survivalism adds emotional depth to every scene they share. As Sabohat reminds Lin during their flight from the soldiers, “You can’t think they’ll never hurt you because you’re a citizen.”
The novel’s tension is amplified when Lin’s hard-fought citizenship—and her chance at Tier One status—collides with her growing awareness of the exploitation and cruelty embedded in the system she serves. Meanwhile, the secondary storyline following Cenric Smith, a disgraced young elite trying to salvage his standing in Hauser’s rigid hierarchy, adds an intriguing counterpoint. Cenric’s ambition and desperation are palpable, especially when he reflects, “Maybe he’ll rise above it. His father is the crumbling stone, not Cenric.” His journey entangles with Lin’s in ways that raise the stakes for both—and for the wider world caught between revolution and repression.
Gazeena’s writing shines in her ability to build immersive environments without bogging down the pace. The depiction of Beijing’s stark contrasts—between hyperrail towers and crumbling refugee districts—is evocative without being overwrought. Mindlink technology, neural implants, and refugee undergrounds are seamlessly integrated into the plot rather than dumped in exposition, making the world feel organic and lived-in.
Where Insider falters slightly is in its density; there are stretches, especially early on, where readers may feel slightly overwhelmed by the heavy layering of world-building, character motivations, and political maneuvering. Additionally, while Lin and Sabohat’s relationship feels deeply authentic, some of the minor characters (such as Sammy) could have been more fully fleshed out to deepen the emotional stakes. Likewise, Cenric’s early characterization leans heavily on familiar tropes (the disgraced rich boy seeking redemption) before he gradually becomes more nuanced.
Despite these minor drawbacks, the novel’s strengths far outweigh its weaknesses. The story delivers a compelling and timely message about immigration, loyalty, systemic injustice, and personal sacrifice without ever feeling preachy or heavy-handed. Lin’s final choices are heartbreaking but inevitable, driven by the believable emotional currents Gazeena has carefully cultivated throughout.
Overall, Insider is a deeply satisfying, smartly executed sci-fi thriller that will appeal to fans of Malka Older’s Infomocracy, Ann Leckie’s Ancillary Justice, and readers who appreciate stories about resistance from within oppressive systems. K.B. Gazeena has crafted a vivid, tense, and emotionally resonant novel that stays with you long after the final page.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
At the center of the story is Yang Lin, a young woman who has successfully navigated the corporate labyrinth of Hauser Incorporated while concealing a life-altering secret: she was born not on Earth, but aboard a refugee ship fleeing a destroyed colony. Gazeena hooks the reader immediately with the novel’s vivid opening—an intense sweep by Directorate soldiers through the dark corners of Beijing, where Lin and her mother hide in the cracks of a gleaming, corporate-run world. “They pour from their vehicles like a swarm of red ants,” the author writes, setting a tense, foreboding tone that rarely lets up.
Lin’s struggle is deeply personal yet undeniably epic: should she risk everything she’s built for the slim hope of helping her fellow refugees? Or does she protect her own hard-won life by staying silent? Gazeena captures this internal war with skill, layering Lin’s moments of guilt, love, fear, and ambition in a way that feels authentic and painful. Sabohat, Lin’s mother, is a standout character as well—her blend of fierce maternal instinct, quiet strength, and hard-won survivalism adds emotional depth to every scene they share. As Sabohat reminds Lin during their flight from the soldiers, “You can’t think they’ll never hurt you because you’re a citizen.”
The novel’s tension is amplified when Lin’s hard-fought citizenship—and her chance at Tier One status—collides with her growing awareness of the exploitation and cruelty embedded in the system she serves. Meanwhile, the secondary storyline following Cenric Smith, a disgraced young elite trying to salvage his standing in Hauser’s rigid hierarchy, adds an intriguing counterpoint. Cenric’s ambition and desperation are palpable, especially when he reflects, “Maybe he’ll rise above it. His father is the crumbling stone, not Cenric.” His journey entangles with Lin’s in ways that raise the stakes for both—and for the wider world caught between revolution and repression.
Gazeena’s writing shines in her ability to build immersive environments without bogging down the pace. The depiction of Beijing’s stark contrasts—between hyperrail towers and crumbling refugee districts—is evocative without being overwrought. Mindlink technology, neural implants, and refugee undergrounds are seamlessly integrated into the plot rather than dumped in exposition, making the world feel organic and lived-in.
Where Insider falters slightly is in its density; there are stretches, especially early on, where readers may feel slightly overwhelmed by the heavy layering of world-building, character motivations, and political maneuvering. Additionally, while Lin and Sabohat’s relationship feels deeply authentic, some of the minor characters (such as Sammy) could have been more fully fleshed out to deepen the emotional stakes. Likewise, Cenric’s early characterization leans heavily on familiar tropes (the disgraced rich boy seeking redemption) before he gradually becomes more nuanced.
Despite these minor drawbacks, the novel’s strengths far outweigh its weaknesses. The story delivers a compelling and timely message about immigration, loyalty, systemic injustice, and personal sacrifice without ever feeling preachy or heavy-handed. Lin’s final choices are heartbreaking but inevitable, driven by the believable emotional currents Gazeena has carefully cultivated throughout.
Overall, Insider is a deeply satisfying, smartly executed sci-fi thriller that will appeal to fans of Malka Older’s Infomocracy, Ann Leckie’s Ancillary Justice, and readers who appreciate stories about resistance from within oppressive systems. K.B. Gazeena has crafted a vivid, tense, and emotionally resonant novel that stays with you long after the final page.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
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