Mind Fields: The Art of Jacek Yerka, the Fiction of Harlan Ellison [Paperback]

Harlan Ellison (Author), Jacek Yerka (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1994

This unique volume is rich with the vivid imagery of one of our most inventive fantasy artists, published here for the first time, together with 30 original short stories from one of the most widely read and critically acclaimed masters of imaginative fiction. 30 color photos.

Product Details

• Paperback: 71 pages
• Publisher: Morpheus International; 1st edition (March 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0962344796
• ISBN-13: 978-0962344794
• Product Dimensions: 11.9 x 9.9 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,105,681 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Surrealistic writing& art...one of Ellison's best books, January 16, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Mind Fields: The Art of Jacek Yerka, the Fiction of Harlan Ellison (Paperback)

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.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars still my favorite, November 23, 1999

By 

Kevin (Michigan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mind Fields: The Art of Jacek Yerka, the Fiction of Harlan Ellison (Paperback)

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.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Ellison is redundant in this book, November 8, 2005

By 

Stas_tx (Houston, TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mind Fields: The Art of Jacek Yerka, the Fiction of Harlan Ellison (Paperback)

I admire Yerka's paintings, but I agree with some of the reviewers here that those stories by Ellison may distort or ruin what Yerka wanted to say. Those stories just don't go well with the paintings.

Ellison completely misses that warm Eastern-European feel that one can get from Yerka's paintings. That actually why some people from the western world may find it hard to get a feel of what Yerka tried to show. Just visit Yerka's official page on the internet!

As a comment to an earlier review by some reader (from December 16, 1997) I have to say that the car transformed to a lizard on the cover of the book is not Volkswagen beetle. The make of the car is "Pobeda", it was made in the 50s in USSR and Poland. Only people with high status in society could afford to have such a car then.