Times change, and so do the means of war. The swords once held in ancient hands have transformed into pistols, airplanes, missiles, armored warships, poisonous gas, biological weapons, nuclear warheads, satellites, doctrines, propaganda, transnational corporations, international telecommunications companies, online viruses…

What lies before us is the alternative history of a small nation struggling against a powerful neighbor. Vastly outnumbered, what means will it devise to match the power of its foe? More importantly, what means will it justify in the name of survival?

Taiwanese writer Andrew Yeh uses science fiction as a tool to raise difficult questions. He is particularly interested in the impact of technology, not only on the course of war, but also on geopolitics and the lives of individuals. What is the psychological toll of a life dedicated to creating weapons? Though we may be able to influence weather and climate, will we always be able to control it? In the relentless pursuit of national security, what catastrophe will be unleashed next: an epidemic, biological warfare, or perhaps the perfect storm?

«The Green Monkey Syndrome» is a collection of science fiction stories written by Andrew Yeh between 1979 and 1987. In Taiwan, its publication marked a shift toward literary science fiction, bringing a science fiction market overrun with tales of distant galaxies back down to Earth.

By the time the book was reissued for the third time in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, it no longer felt like pure science fiction, but something eerily prophetic. And now, in 2025, that impression has only deepened.