Green Monkey Syndrome

By: Andrew Yeh

Narrated by: Feodor Chin, Brian Nishii, Pun Bandhu, Michael Braun

Disaster, biological warfare, environmental catastrophe, and resistance to hegemony. No, it’s not a description of 2020; it’s Andrew Yeh’s science-fiction collection, Green Monkey Syndrome. Originally published in 1987 and never having gone out of print, these stories reflect a dystopian future so resonant with our own, it is almost like they came out yesterday.

Set in a fictional East Asia, the four stories narrate the struggles of the tiny island nation of Buron to resist the onslaught of its much bigger neighbor, Garsia, via any means necessary. “Green Monkey Syndrome” describes the disaster of a pathogenic weapon leaked among indigenous tribespeople; “The Gaoka Case” tracks through case files a pharmaceutical offensive designed to take advantage of the enemy’s patriarchal culture; “I Love Thee Winona” and “The Lost Bird” describe campaigns to manipulate disastrous weather patterns and deliver bioweapons through migrating birds.

These stories, fortified by the author’s own extensive research, paint a picture of transnational warfare and brutal environmental imbalance that will chill the blood of anyone who has been reading this year’s news. Yeh’s surgically precise language and compelling narratives comes across like 1984 meets Brave New World meets the front page of the New York Times.

©2020 by Andrew Yeh (P)2022 by Blackstone Publishing

A timeless masterpiece

A timely translation and creation of an audiobook based on a short story first published more than 30 years ago. The language and voice performance is precise and captivating. Highly recommended!!