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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: 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: 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.
Rating:
Summary: my last name is yerka too:)
Review: This is some of the greatest art I have ever seen and along with feeling mystified at the different emotions I feel when I see this art, I become angry at inability to properly articulate how incredible Yerka's art really is. You've got to check this book out!
Rating:
Summary: A Mind-Blowing Experience
Review: This is the most incredibly entertaining book I have ever read. You will pick it up years later, and see new details. The strange, surreal landscapes depicted will entertain you and open your eyes to new sensations. Ellison's commentary is often effective in showing you a new perspective, but don't buy the book for the literature: buy it for the art. The detail Yerka uses with his art will create an indellible mark upon your conciousness. Highly, highly recoommended!
Rating:
Summary: Stimulating combination of two arts.
Review: Yerka and Ellison make an unstoppable team of creativity in this book. The only suggestion I'll make is look through and enjoy Yerka's paintings before reading Ellison's fiction.
Rating:
Summary: Stimulating combination of two arts.
Review: Yerka and Ellison make an unstoppable team of creativity in this book. The only suggestion I'll make is look through and enjoy Yerka's paintings before reading Ellison's fiction.
Rating: 
Summary: Perhaps a good one for Ellison fans
Review: Yerka's paintings capture many things. In the most literal sense, one (e.g. Afternoon with the Grimm brothers) might include a cat, antique block planes, what looks like an old tube TV, a workbench-turning-piano, and possibly the monster under the bed. The detail goes on, and many of his paintings present the same collections of oddities, neatly arrayed like words on a page. Others (including Please Don't Slam the Door, Foraging in the Field, and Eruption) suggest an uneasy truce between the things of man and the forces of nature. Yet others (Susan, for example) imply intimacy between people, and with the world.
In too many cases, though, I see the catalog of Yerka's personal icons arrayed across the page, and feel as if the picture's meaning is not meant for me. Perhaps his personal language is too personal. For whatever reason, the imagery says very little to me.
Harlan Ellison, on the other hand, says far too much. Most of this book alternates pages, Ellison's writing on the left and Yerka's painting on the right, plus commentary by Ellison at the end of the book. Long ago, Ellison's favortie topic became Ellison, and I was no longer able to enjoy his writing. I would have liked the book better with Ellison's part missing.
Yerka's work is competent; some people may find it legible. Ellison has a following, and those readers are sure to find something here to like. Unfortunately, I am not in either group.
//wiredweird
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