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Summary: Surreal paintings give rise to equally surreal stories.
Review: Harlan Ellison tackles a variety of projects. This time, he has discovered a series of surrational paintings by Jacek Yerka. This is a true collaboration, because the paintings themselves are stunning. Witness the oddly nostalgic image on the front cover of Volkswagen beetle half transformed into a lizard. Jacek's other images include several focusing on unusual houses, Escher-esque mixed perspective, and secret gardens. Jacek Yerka uses a crisp, clear style with superb definition. Far from suggesting inchoate images to his viewers, he descibes in exquisite detail his visions. Determining why his images simultaneously make intuitive sense, yet are not of this world, is a delightful challenge. With just a hint of humor, Ellison's short sketches are designed to convey the emotions he felt as he gazed at the paintings. Though he generally regards his work as self explanatory, he has included some of his legendary author's notes explaining a few of his more compact stories. The rest give firefly snapshots of his life as he worked on the project. Ellison's natural length is longer than the paragraph-to-page length he has chosen here, but this remains a collection that supports both a light jaunt through its entries, or serious consideration of metaphor of a cupboard for the isolation of the WWII Jewish condition. Enjoy. --Carl Woollen
Rating: 
Summary: Ellison ruins Yerka's vision
Review: I am a big fan of surrealism and fantastiqueism, and I love some science fiction (Stanislaw Lem, early Robert Heinlein, etc.). I've always liked Yerka. In this case, however, I liked every single painting less after reading the Ellison story inspired by it. Ellison's style is similar in both content and smartass writing style to the early works of Heinlein, but they destroy the mysterious, inexplicable, and most importantly, AMBIGUOUS quality of all of Yerka's paintings.
Rating: 
Summary: Fabulous. Compelling. Disturbing. Amazing.
Review: I don't know enough of the right words to describe this book. It is a visual masterpiece, accompanied by glimpses into the twisted mind of Harlan Ellison via his interpretation of each picture. Jacek Yerka and Harlan Ellison: a perfect match, if you ask me.If you have trouble getting through some of Ellison's longer works, try this book. And even if you HATE Harlan Ellison, try this book. Nowhere have I seen such hauntingly wonderful illustrations. They stick with you. And sometimes, sometimes, Ellison's story sticks, too.
Rating:
Summary: Fabulous. Compelling. Disturbing. Amazing.
Review: I don't know enough of the right words to describe this book. It is a visual masterpiece, accompanied by glimpses into the twisted mind of Harlan Ellison via his interpretation of each picture. Jacek Yerka and Harlan Ellison: a perfect match, if you ask me. If you have trouble getting through some of Ellison's longer works, try this book. And even if you HATE Harlan Ellison, try this book. Nowhere have I seen such hauntingly wonderful illustrations. They stick with you. And sometimes, sometimes, Ellison's story sticks, too.
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Summary: Surrealistic writing& art...one of Ellison's best books
Review: If ever two artists created works that were meant for each other, Yerka & Ellison fit the bill. The art of Jacek Yerka is so wild and imaginative (with just the proper amount of Daliesque and Boschian elements) that it could have sprung full blown from the imagination of Harlan Ellison. Yerka's art seems even better suited to Ellison's prose than that of Jill Bauman, Jack Snyder (who illustrate the Whitel Wolf omnibus covers)-- maybe even better suited than that of the Dillons. Sensing this, Ellison took the time to sit down and cobble up 33 short-shorts for this artistic collaboration. All of which were virtually hot off the press when the book was published in '93 & '94 (in trade paper). But, perhaps because it was an art book, most fiction book reviewers failed to notice it. Which is a shame, because MINDFIELDS is one of Ellison's best books. The tales are so short they can't be vivisected without draining the life from them; but each one evokes just the right sentiments, just the right images to compliment the drawing that inspired them. Stories like the heart-wrenching "Susan," the satirical "Europe," the hard-boiled "Base" or "Attack at Dawn," the surrealistic "Ellison Wonderland" and the poetic "Darkness Falls on the River." Like DEATHBIRD STORIES, THE ESSENTIAL ELLISON, ANGRY CANDY or SLIPPAGE, this is one of Ellison's finest collections. The inclusion of artwork by the brilliant Mr. Yerka makes it that much more of a valuable addition to anyone's home library.
Rating:
Summary: Surrealistic writing& art...one of Ellison's best books
Review: If ever two artists created works that were meant for each other, Yerka & Ellison fit the bill. The art of Jacek Yerka is so wild and imaginative (with just the proper amount of Daliesque and Boschian elements) that it could have sprung full blown from the imagination of Harlan Ellison. Yerka's art seems even better suited to Ellison's prose than that of Jill Bauman, Jack Snyder (who illustrate the Whitel Wolf omnibus covers)-- maybe even better suited than that of the Dillons. Sensing this, Ellison took the time to sit down and cobble up 33 short-shorts for this artistic collaboration. All of which were virtually hot off the press when the book was published in '93 & '94 (in trade paper). But, perhaps because it was an art book, most fiction book reviewers failed to notice it. Which is a shame, because MINDFIELDS is one of Ellison's best books. The tales are so short they can't be vivisected without draining the life from them; but each one evokes just the right sentiments, just the right images to compliment the drawing that inspired them. Stories like the heart-wrenching "Susan," the satirical "Europe," the hard-boiled "Base" or "Attack at Dawn," the surrealistic "Ellison Wonderland" and the poetic "Darkness Falls on the River." Like DEATHBIRD STORIES, THE ESSENTIAL ELLISON, ANGRY CANDY or SLIPPAGE, this is one of Ellison's finest collections. The inclusion of artwork by the brilliant Mr. Yerka makes it that much more of a valuable addition to anyone's home library.
Rating:
Summary: Striking. An incredible artistic interpretation.
Review: Miniature landscapes on drab tabletops. A haunting epilogue to Icarus' fall. And a shelter so well hidden, even the creators can't find it. Literary and artistic surrealism are augmented by Ellison's lyrical flair, and Jacek Yerka's paintings can only be described as....Visceral.
Check this book out. Ellison fans can't afford to miss this, it ranges from sullen to acidly sarcastic, and it's all incredible.
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Summary: my last name is yerka too:)
Review: my last name is yerka so i think its cool:)...b/c not that many people have the last name of yerka.
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Summary: still my favorite
Review: The day I stumbled on this book, I was merely looking for a fantasy art collection with pretty pictures. As I plunged into the book, realizing what it was really about, I couldn't and, to date, haven't put it down. That was five years ago. Never has a collection such as this forced me to continually look into and out of each picture in order to find something new. Both Ellison's and Yerka's imagination form a synergy unrivaled in this genre. While I have since collected another collection of Yerka's art, I have snatched everyhthing I can find from Ellison. While I am often drawn into each of his stories with a similar intensity, ("The Beast that Shouted. . . " is my current favorite) none of his work affects me as much as "To Each His Own", "Foraging in the Fields", "Amok Harvest", "Darkness Falls. . ." and most others in this collection. For a quick jaunt into the minds of these two artists, I thoroughly recommend this book. For those new to Ellison, his author notes at the end of the book give a brief view of some of his opinions of the Real World.
Rating:
Summary: still my favorite
Review: The day I stumbled on this book, I was merely looking for a fantasy art collection with pretty pictures. As I plunged into the book, realizing what it was really about, I couldn't and, to date, haven't put it down. That was five years ago. Never has a collection such as this forced me to continually look into and out of each picture in order to find something new. Both Ellison's and Yerka's imagination form a synergy unrivaled in this genre. While I have since collected another collection of Yerka's art, I have snatched everyhthing I can find from Ellison. While I am often drawn into each of his stories with a similar intensity, ("The Beast that Shouted. . . " is my current favorite) none of his work affects me as much as "To Each His Own", "Foraging in the Fields", "Amok Harvest", "Darkness Falls. . ." and most others in this collection. For a quick jaunt into the minds of these two artists, I thoroughly recommend this book. For those new to Ellison, his author notes at the end of the book give a brief view of some of his opinions of the Real World.
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