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Mind Fields: The Art of Jacek Yerka, The Fiction of Harlan Ellison
Mind Fields was originally conceived as a collection of Jacek Yerka's paintings, but when Harlan Ellison was approached to write the introduction, he was so overcome that instead he penned a short story for each piece. The result of this synergistic melding of talents, Mind Fields shows two masters at their best. Each of the nearly three dozen stories in this volume is completely unlike any of the others, and together they contain a rich panoply of pathos, humor, and wonder. Produced in a beautiful cloth edition worthy of the art within, Mind Fields is a unique item and a must for any Ellison fan.
72 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1994
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About the author
Harlan Ellison
1,082 books2,813 followersHarlan Jay Ellison (1934-2018) was a prolific American writer of short stories, novellas, teleplays, essays, and criticism.
His literary and television work has received many awards. He wrote for the original series of both The Outer Limits and Star Trek as well as The Alfred Hitchcock Hour; edited the multiple-award-winning short story anthology series Dangerous Visions; and served as creative consultant/writer to the science fiction TV series The New Twilight Zone and Babylon 5.
Several of his short fiction pieces have been made into movies, such as the classic "The Boy and His Dog".
His literary and television work has received many awards. He wrote for the original series of both The Outer Limits and Star Trek as well as The Alfred Hitchcock Hour; edited the multiple-award-winning short story anthology series Dangerous Visions; and served as creative consultant/writer to the science fiction TV series The New Twilight Zone and Babylon 5.
Several of his short fiction pieces have been made into movies, such as the classic "The Boy and His Dog".
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
December 29, 2017
this is a book of dreams and wonders from two masters of imaginativeness at work. Jacek Yerka's surrealist paintings are accompanied and interpreted by Harlan Ellison. it is a great gift to share in the products of their imagination, however i personally felt it would be better to leave the art as a standalone photobook without Harlan's hand, for the following reason.
Among other ways, Jacek's paintings captivates the reader through two attractions: their ineffable strangeness and their sense of fantastic possibility. The first is demonstrated by the dreamlike quality of the paintings: usually the reader is dropped into a serene field or forest. But in the foreground is an out-of-place architecture or house, whose elements are disjointed from normalcy. Here embodied Death is peeking through a hedge. Or the cliff-carved city floats on air, or roots on water. One stops to observe every detail because one can't explain the entire situation through the reflexive lens of everyday experience.
The second attraction is the sense of fantastic possibility they hold for the reader. Stairs lead through shadowy places, windows open on both scenes of paradise and doom, open corridors twist and multiply. The reader is transported out of this world into timeless fantasy.
I feel Harlan's stories devalue both attractions. In the first place, his stories consist of making sense of the painting, by connecting the dots between the disjointed elements and combining them into an ingenious but coherent story. There is a shoe of beast feet and a hanging bucket in this Tatooine-like residence? Ah, they are connected together because this setting is about this shoemaker who is about to die as the bucket hits, but gets his revenge at the same time. Instead of using the paintings as a starting point for his own flights of imagination, he chains himself to explaining (and reducing) the paintings into coherency.
In the second place, I felt that Jacek's paintings lay in fantasy, but some of Harlan's stories were science fiction. One lay outside time, the other inside time and the logic of this universe, which operated whether Harlan put his stories in future or past. Unfortunately sometimes he chose the drab unremote past, or the drab unremote future.
But taken apart these acts of imagination are original and a blessing to its readers. Maybe for other readers they are in fact a blessing taken together.
Among other ways, Jacek's paintings captivates the reader through two attractions: their ineffable strangeness and their sense of fantastic possibility. The first is demonstrated by the dreamlike quality of the paintings: usually the reader is dropped into a serene field or forest. But in the foreground is an out-of-place architecture or house, whose elements are disjointed from normalcy. Here embodied Death is peeking through a hedge. Or the cliff-carved city floats on air, or roots on water. One stops to observe every detail because one can't explain the entire situation through the reflexive lens of everyday experience.
The second attraction is the sense of fantastic possibility they hold for the reader. Stairs lead through shadowy places, windows open on both scenes of paradise and doom, open corridors twist and multiply. The reader is transported out of this world into timeless fantasy.
I feel Harlan's stories devalue both attractions. In the first place, his stories consist of making sense of the painting, by connecting the dots between the disjointed elements and combining them into an ingenious but coherent story. There is a shoe of beast feet and a hanging bucket in this Tatooine-like residence? Ah, they are connected together because this setting is about this shoemaker who is about to die as the bucket hits, but gets his revenge at the same time. Instead of using the paintings as a starting point for his own flights of imagination, he chains himself to explaining (and reducing) the paintings into coherency.
In the second place, I felt that Jacek's paintings lay in fantasy, but some of Harlan's stories were science fiction. One lay outside time, the other inside time and the logic of this universe, which operated whether Harlan put his stories in future or past. Unfortunately sometimes he chose the drab unremote past, or the drab unremote future.
But taken apart these acts of imagination are original and a blessing to its readers. Maybe for other readers they are in fact a blessing taken together.
May 14, 2021
Surreal art and sci-fi short stories?! Yes please! The art could definitely stand on its own if you just wanted to enjoy these interesting pieces, but Ellison's short stories really make you look more closely and immerse yourself in the strangeness.
May 15, 2025
Thank sweet baby Jesus they illustrated this crap, Mr Ellison knows I can't read.
March 25, 2018
It's always risky, rereading something you loved as a teen, but in this case, my childhood memories are pretty well vindicated. Yerka's surrealist paintings of impossible landscapes and architecture, with their echoes of Magritte, shaped my writerly imagination and continue to delight.
I have little patience for Ellison, and feel his work limits rather than expands the possibilities of the art here, but fortunately, it's easy enough to ignore his contributions and focus on Yerka's mystery and whimsy.
I have little patience for Ellison, and feel his work limits rather than expands the possibilities of the art here, but fortunately, it's easy enough to ignore his contributions and focus on Yerka's mystery and whimsy.
September 22, 2009
Many of the miniature tales in this collection are like nightmarish Faberge eggs: beautiful, intricate, and menacing. He somehow condenses a much larger story into a single page, and does an impressive job of fleshing out possible backstories for Jacek Yerka's surrealist imagery. Alas, the tone of most of the stories is shrill, but fans of Ellison have come to expect nothing less, I think.
June 24, 2020
De la mano de dos genios dentro de sus mundos, viene un libro que es un placer de leer. Un conjunto de cuentos cortos, que nacen de la mano de Harlan Ellison basándose en diferentes pinturas de Jacek Yerka. Un placer y delirio visual, y una capacidad de inventiva que no descansa.
Es de esas cosas hermosas que está bueno re mirar cada tanto.
Es de esas cosas hermosas que está bueno re mirar cada tanto.
November 22, 2020
I must be too stupid to understand these stories, which are as surreal as the art. With the exception of "Susan," which was genuinely moving.
September 25, 2010
As a collaboration, this was disappointing. Jacek Yerka's paintings were haunting enough: abundant flirtation with magrittian impossibilities and bestial techologies. But each one has to share space with Harlan Ellison's gimmicky, distracting stories. I've always liked Ellison--"'Repent, Harlequin!' Said the Ticktockman" was an early favorite--and he did try hard to stress in his Author's Notes that his stories were intended as one possible interpretation of the paintings (among infinitudes). That intention didn't work out, though; each story reads as reductive of the original work, and just allaround annoying (except, maybe, "Europe" and "Twilight in the Cupboard.)" Now I see why people complain about Ellison's gargantuan ego.
July 22, 2011
Surrealistic paintings combined with short stories? Sign me up! Ellison clearly had fun with this and Yerka's work is beautiful.
January 10, 2023
This beautiful book has been languishing in my storage room art collection for many years. I've owned it for nearly thirty - having purchased a first edition copy when it came out in 1994. I enjoyed it thoroughly for some time and then forgot about it between life, and moves, and life.
This book gets 5 stars for the art work and since that stands alone, I give this book 5 stars overall. The Ellison stories average 3-4 stars with an occasional 1/2 or 5. I recommend this book for fans of Surreal artwork in general and especially to those who love Jacek Yerka's phenomenal skill and imagination. I also recommend it for die hard fans of Harlan Ellison (if any still exist).
I was reading "Pieranesi Unbound" yesterday, which my 12-year-old artist of a son hadn't been very impressed with (many words, few pictures), and I recalled "Mind Fields" as something he might appreciate more. So, I searched it out of my storage room bookcase and realized (remembered?) that each amazing surreal print is accompanied by a short story. I don't recall if I ever tried to read the stories as a young person since I purchased the book for the art work. I tend to ignore text in art books because it's typically dry. It's possible I never realized the text told a story. More likely, I tried and didn't get past the first or second story because they are wordy, heavy things, and I was young, light of heart, and daydreamy.
I resolved to read all the stories and found most of them intriguing. They are still wordy, heavy things, but I'm nearly 30 years older, have lost a little of my daydreaminess (but only a little), and gained more tolerance for verbose, descriptive, rambling short stories.
The name Harlan Ellison is new to me (despite my ownership of this book that I think of as Jacek Yerka's), so perhaps his writing hasn't weathered the test of time as well as some of his contemporaries. There's a level of cleverness and surprise to some of the stories and something about the style appeals to me, but he's a bit too "smart" for his own good - sometimes using old fashioned language (seriously, some of it had to be archaic even 30 years ago) and cultural/current event references that don't translate to immediate recognition. For example, I have never heard the term "vato loco" and had to look that up. As such, the story it flavors was somewhat amusing, but partially lost of me.
Finally, the publishers should not have published Ellison's afterward - interpreting his own work and explaining why he didn't want to do so. His tone in the afterward is condescending and toxic, and takes some of the shine off of his creative writing. I wish I'd been left to interpret the stories myself (like the Art!) rather than slogging through the often belligerent and condescending explanations. This book is proof positive that stories are better when you don't have to get in the author's head. The stories are somehow less beautiful when there is an ass braying in the background.
I read this as part of my Year of Visual Arts initiative for 2023. It was so worth my time!
This book gets 5 stars for the art work and since that stands alone, I give this book 5 stars overall. The Ellison stories average 3-4 stars with an occasional 1/2 or 5. I recommend this book for fans of Surreal artwork in general and especially to those who love Jacek Yerka's phenomenal skill and imagination. I also recommend it for die hard fans of Harlan Ellison (if any still exist).
I was reading "Pieranesi Unbound" yesterday, which my 12-year-old artist of a son hadn't been very impressed with (many words, few pictures), and I recalled "Mind Fields" as something he might appreciate more. So, I searched it out of my storage room bookcase and realized (remembered?) that each amazing surreal print is accompanied by a short story. I don't recall if I ever tried to read the stories as a young person since I purchased the book for the art work. I tend to ignore text in art books because it's typically dry. It's possible I never realized the text told a story. More likely, I tried and didn't get past the first or second story because they are wordy, heavy things, and I was young, light of heart, and daydreamy.
I resolved to read all the stories and found most of them intriguing. They are still wordy, heavy things, but I'm nearly 30 years older, have lost a little of my daydreaminess (but only a little), and gained more tolerance for verbose, descriptive, rambling short stories.
The name Harlan Ellison is new to me (despite my ownership of this book that I think of as Jacek Yerka's), so perhaps his writing hasn't weathered the test of time as well as some of his contemporaries. There's a level of cleverness and surprise to some of the stories and something about the style appeals to me, but he's a bit too "smart" for his own good - sometimes using old fashioned language (seriously, some of it had to be archaic even 30 years ago) and cultural/current event references that don't translate to immediate recognition. For example, I have never heard the term "vato loco" and had to look that up. As such, the story it flavors was somewhat amusing, but partially lost of me.
Finally, the publishers should not have published Ellison's afterward - interpreting his own work and explaining why he didn't want to do so. His tone in the afterward is condescending and toxic, and takes some of the shine off of his creative writing. I wish I'd been left to interpret the stories myself (like the Art!) rather than slogging through the often belligerent and condescending explanations. This book is proof positive that stories are better when you don't have to get in the author's head. The stories are somehow less beautiful when there is an ass braying in the background.
I read this as part of my Year of Visual Arts initiative for 2023. It was so worth my time!
April 18, 2025
I took my time with this one, because I find I have to with Harlan Ellison. The man's brilliant, but his writing is on an entirely different level, one that begs full attention. Add the gorgeous, bizarre, wonderful paintings of Jacek Yerka—shamefully, an artist that had been unknown to me prior to this book—into the mix for inspiration, and now I've got two brilliant artists begging for my attention...often at the same time.
Do all of the stories work? No. Do all of the paintings work? Also no.
...but the vast majority of them do. I enjoyed virtually every one of Yerka's paintings, but a few of the stories by Ellison in the first half left me a touch cold. But then, every once in a while, Ellison would come out swinging, and crush me under his prodigious talent. The first one that truly hit me was about halfway through. A dark, mournful painting called "The Silence" backed up by less of a story and more a curse hurled from Harlan. Shortly after than, I came across one of Harlan's Author's Notes where he said, "The game in this book is to derail your expectations."
And then I understood the game. The earlier stories resonated differently, and the following ones seemed far more powerful.
Aside from "The Silence" it seems to me that they saved the three best for last: "Under the Landscape" is a painful, ugly, utterly prescient story that is easily the most powerful one in the collection.
Immediately following it, "Ellison's Wonderland" takes a mundane event and explodes it into a hidden truth we all know but don't share.
And the final gut punch is "Please Don't Slam the Door" that is almost too delicate for Harlan Ellison to write...until you read his Author's Note, and if you aren't moved to tears, you aren't human.
Every time I circle back around to Harlan Ellison's writing, I'm struck once again at his surprising playfulness, his caustic humour, and his unflinching insights into humanity. When paired with Jacek Yerka's imagery, I think there's a shared magic that occurs.
This book is stunning.
Do all of the stories work? No. Do all of the paintings work? Also no.
...but the vast majority of them do. I enjoyed virtually every one of Yerka's paintings, but a few of the stories by Ellison in the first half left me a touch cold. But then, every once in a while, Ellison would come out swinging, and crush me under his prodigious talent. The first one that truly hit me was about halfway through. A dark, mournful painting called "The Silence" backed up by less of a story and more a curse hurled from Harlan. Shortly after than, I came across one of Harlan's Author's Notes where he said, "The game in this book is to derail your expectations."
And then I understood the game. The earlier stories resonated differently, and the following ones seemed far more powerful.
Aside from "The Silence" it seems to me that they saved the three best for last: "Under the Landscape" is a painful, ugly, utterly prescient story that is easily the most powerful one in the collection.
Immediately following it, "Ellison's Wonderland" takes a mundane event and explodes it into a hidden truth we all know but don't share.
And the final gut punch is "Please Don't Slam the Door" that is almost too delicate for Harlan Ellison to write...until you read his Author's Note, and if you aren't moved to tears, you aren't human.
Every time I circle back around to Harlan Ellison's writing, I'm struck once again at his surprising playfulness, his caustic humour, and his unflinching insights into humanity. When paired with Jacek Yerka's imagery, I think there's a shared magic that occurs.
This book is stunning.
September 27, 2021
Mind Fields consists of two entities, which makes reviewing it a bit different than usual.
One part is Jacek Yerka's amazing worlds, which are beautifully displayed in this book. The size and layout of the physical copy do them justice. Every time I lay my eyes upon them, they leave me just as awestruck as when I first stumbled upon them many years ago. Flipping a page can feel like entering a new world, and the surrealism and style that Mr. Yerka uses makes it so that every different glance lets you discover something new. There is a certain warmth to them-even the darker ones-that make them feel so alive, whilst sparking curiosity. The art alone makes it a wonderous book, one that makes me incredibly happy to look at every now and then.
The other part consists of Mr. Ellison's short stories, of which some were great: "Between Heaven and Hell," "Eruption," "Internal Inspection." Some were lovely to read: "Paradise," "Susan," "Please don't slam the door." Some were somewhat comical: "Europe," "Express Delivery." That said, there were also some that didn't really connect to the art from my perspective. Some felt a bit lackluster because of this, and left me wanting a different story instead. Of course it is all subjective in the end, but I'd say that with the amount of different stories in there you will most likely find some to your liking.
All in all, I still think this book is worth 5 stars. I'd argue it's worth it for the art alone, especially if you like surrealism or imaginative worlds. Though not all of the stories connected well with me, most of them were a welcome-if not great-addition to the final piece.
One part is Jacek Yerka's amazing worlds, which are beautifully displayed in this book. The size and layout of the physical copy do them justice. Every time I lay my eyes upon them, they leave me just as awestruck as when I first stumbled upon them many years ago. Flipping a page can feel like entering a new world, and the surrealism and style that Mr. Yerka uses makes it so that every different glance lets you discover something new. There is a certain warmth to them-even the darker ones-that make them feel so alive, whilst sparking curiosity. The art alone makes it a wonderous book, one that makes me incredibly happy to look at every now and then.
The other part consists of Mr. Ellison's short stories, of which some were great: "Between Heaven and Hell," "Eruption," "Internal Inspection." Some were lovely to read: "Paradise," "Susan," "Please don't slam the door." Some were somewhat comical: "Europe," "Express Delivery." That said, there were also some that didn't really connect to the art from my perspective. Some felt a bit lackluster because of this, and left me wanting a different story instead. Of course it is all subjective in the end, but I'd say that with the amount of different stories in there you will most likely find some to your liking.
All in all, I still think this book is worth 5 stars. I'd argue it's worth it for the art alone, especially if you like surrealism or imaginative worlds. Though not all of the stories connected well with me, most of them were a welcome-if not great-addition to the final piece.
September 11, 2025
Mind Fields by Jacek Yerka and Harlan Ellison, 8/10
As a collaboration this fails, but Yerka's wonderful surreal paintings more than carry the book. Ellison's short stories, inspired by Yerka's art, miss more than they hit. They diminish Yerka's work, and are mainly shrill, overwrought and rambling nonsense which snatches elements from the accompanying painting into a Keyser Soze-esque ad hoc narrative. The exceptions (Susan, Fever, and Base, and Attack at Dawn come to mind) ironically have relatively little to nothing to do with their paintings, and are among the only stories that could stand on their own. I confess, aside from I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream, I don't think I've read any Ellison. This doesn't make me particularly want to. His prose is too obnoxious. Regardless, the book is worth it for the art alone.
As a collaboration this fails, but Yerka's wonderful surreal paintings more than carry the book. Ellison's short stories, inspired by Yerka's art, miss more than they hit. They diminish Yerka's work, and are mainly shrill, overwrought and rambling nonsense which snatches elements from the accompanying painting into a Keyser Soze-esque ad hoc narrative. The exceptions (Susan, Fever, and Base, and Attack at Dawn come to mind) ironically have relatively little to nothing to do with their paintings, and are among the only stories that could stand on their own. I confess, aside from I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream, I don't think I've read any Ellison. This doesn't make me particularly want to. His prose is too obnoxious. Regardless, the book is worth it for the art alone.
March 25, 2019
As always, Jacek Yerka's artwork is astounding. I want to go into each and every one of his landscapes and explore.
Harlan Ellison's stories, however, were mediocre. Most felt like snippets of longer stories, or seemed like the musings of an angsty teenager who has just discovered he's interested in writing fiction. Not all the stories were terrible, but most left little impression or simply made me roll my eyes.
Here are a few that didn't:
-Susan (surprisingly sweet)
-Internal Inspection (reminded me of vintage science fiction movies)
-Afternoon with the Bros. Grimm
-Under the Landscape (depressing, but actually meant something)
If you're going to pick up this book, do so for the 5 star art. The stories are hit or miss, but mostly miss.
Harlan Ellison's stories, however, were mediocre. Most felt like snippets of longer stories, or seemed like the musings of an angsty teenager who has just discovered he's interested in writing fiction. Not all the stories were terrible, but most left little impression or simply made me roll my eyes.
Here are a few that didn't:
-Susan (surprisingly sweet)
-Internal Inspection (reminded me of vintage science fiction movies)
-Afternoon with the Bros. Grimm
-Under the Landscape (depressing, but actually meant something)
If you're going to pick up this book, do so for the 5 star art. The stories are hit or miss, but mostly miss.
May 8, 2022
Mind fields: the art of jacek Yerka the fiction of harlan Ellison is a p good book, Story and art wise I either went "meh"or "I'll never forget the feelings this book gave me".
So many fantastic dream landscapes and puzzle box stories and then sometimes it's just a weak sentence of a story for a powerful painting or a pretty good paragraph for a painting that maybe should've shyed away on drawing the human figure and save the idea for another more experienced day.
I'd still recommend the book.
So many fantastic dream landscapes and puzzle box stories and then sometimes it's just a weak sentence of a story for a powerful painting or a pretty good paragraph for a painting that maybe should've shyed away on drawing the human figure and save the idea for another more experienced day.
I'd still recommend the book.
September 29, 2020
Mind Fields is and exquisite book! Gorgeous Illustrations by Jacek Yerka. Hauntingly beautiful stories by Harlan Ellison. What a wonderful collaboration!
My favorite stories were "Susan," "Heaven and Hell," "The Silence," and "Base."
Do yourself a favor, and buy Mind Fields. The stories are thought-provoking, and the surrealist art will transport you to fantastic, mystical worlds.
My favorite stories were "Susan," "Heaven and Hell," "The Silence," and "Base."
Do yourself a favor, and buy Mind Fields. The stories are thought-provoking, and the surrealist art will transport you to fantastic, mystical worlds.
October 15, 2017
The idea of each picture being accompanied by a short story is a good one. However, I found the stories irritating after a while and found myself skimming them towards the end. Love Yerka's art though and glad I stumbled upon it.
January 6, 2022
Interesting compilation of Art paired with short stories written by Harlan just for those art pieces. Even some "explanations" about the stories in the back of the book by Harlan to give enve more context.
I like all Harlan's stuff...
I like all Harlan's stuff...
November 24, 2024
In Harlan Ellison's Watching from SciFi he explains how the idea for this was the publishers asked him for a forward but instead he wrote a new short story for every painting. Great way to enjoy a quick read and admire the art.
September 15, 2018
A collection of the Art of Jacek Yerka, Harlan Ellison then wrote a story to go with each piece of art. The collaboration really works.
September 5, 2022
Rereading a book that has been on my shelves for a long time.
August 12, 2023
This book was in my work library. I was only reviewing the artwork for content.
December 25, 2014
VIDEO VERSION:
Mind Fields by Harlan Ellison
Mind Fields is a book of short stories by Harlan Ellison, inspired by the mythic glory of paintings by Polish artist, Jacek Yerka.
Mind Fields, I'm ashamed to admit, is the first Harlan Ellison book I ever bought. Ashamed because I was over the age of 20 when it was published and Harlan Ellison almost instantly became one of my favorite authors of all time, and I regret I wasn't buying his books from the moment I could read.
Jacek Yerka paintings are so vibrant and imaginative, even the most uncreative cynic would become charmed with the sense of life and depth within them. His paintings move. They breathe. They sting with snakebite fire.
In the hands of Harlan Ellison, he bleeds the visions dry, squeezing every pulpy drop of venom from every nook and cranny. No detail is missed. No pore is unexamined. No brushstroke is ignored.
Although Harlan Ellison is one of the most prolific and award-winning authors of our time, during the late 20th and early 21st centuries, there are still going to be those of you who are unfamiliar with his work. Allow me to share with you one of my favorite passages from Mind Fields, a story entitled "The Silence", as read by the author...
http://www.sundancechannel.com/videos...
That one chills me everytime I read it. How I love authors who write prose as poetry.
Mind Fields is not only a fantastic introduction to one of the living legends of imaginative literature, but also serves as a beautiful collection of some of the finest examples of surreal art being created during our lifetimes. Ellison inspired by Yerka is a beauty to behold. This is Shakespeare inspire by DaVinci. This is Bradbury inspired by Dali. Yeats inspired by Michaelangelo.
The thing I love the most about Mind Fields is the flow of said inspiration veritably spills off the page. Between the brilliant combination of Jacek's imagery and Harlan's stories, it's impossible for your own imagination to cease churning. One look at the paintings and stories start forming in your own head. Then you read Harlan's prose and the paintings nearly come to life. You fear waters may drip upon your floor, so you hold the book less upright. You fear monsters may nip at your fingertips, so you draw your hand to the edge of the pages. No longer paintings, the images become windows to real worlds. That's what makes Mind Fields a unique work of art. A prime example of two artforms converging to create something greater than the sum of its parts. Mind Fields is more than a book of beautiful artwork; more than a book of glorious short stories. Instead it's a genuine gateway to imagination, opening doorways to otherworldly possibilities no story or image could do alone. Therein lies the power of Mind Fields. Melding two incredible artists to conjure something entirely new.
Not long ago in my career as a writer, I had the great honor of being a very small part of a project similar to Mind Fields called Tales From the Dark Tower. Dark fantasy artist Joe Vargo had created a number of paintings for the Tales From the Dark Tower anthology and I had the privilege of being one of the writers who contributed to it. With all due respect to the talents of Joe Vargo, I'm sure he would agree, we are no Yerka and Ellison. Nevertheless, Tales From the Dark Tower showed me a small hint of how excited Ellison must have felt when he wrote Mind Fields.
My only negative comment? The book is too short. Too thin. I would have loved for it to be two, three, four times as long! Every page is a wonder to behold and I would that they numbered into the hundreds.
This is a creation I can't recommend enough and encourage you to go buy it. This is truly a life enriching book that must be on your shelf and it will do what all great works of art should - take you to places more spellbinding than you have ever dreamed.
Mind Fields by Harlan Ellison
Mind Fields is a book of short stories by Harlan Ellison, inspired by the mythic glory of paintings by Polish artist, Jacek Yerka.
Mind Fields, I'm ashamed to admit, is the first Harlan Ellison book I ever bought. Ashamed because I was over the age of 20 when it was published and Harlan Ellison almost instantly became one of my favorite authors of all time, and I regret I wasn't buying his books from the moment I could read.
Jacek Yerka paintings are so vibrant and imaginative, even the most uncreative cynic would become charmed with the sense of life and depth within them. His paintings move. They breathe. They sting with snakebite fire.
In the hands of Harlan Ellison, he bleeds the visions dry, squeezing every pulpy drop of venom from every nook and cranny. No detail is missed. No pore is unexamined. No brushstroke is ignored.
Although Harlan Ellison is one of the most prolific and award-winning authors of our time, during the late 20th and early 21st centuries, there are still going to be those of you who are unfamiliar with his work. Allow me to share with you one of my favorite passages from Mind Fields, a story entitled "The Silence", as read by the author...
http://www.sundancechannel.com/videos...
That one chills me everytime I read it. How I love authors who write prose as poetry.
Mind Fields is not only a fantastic introduction to one of the living legends of imaginative literature, but also serves as a beautiful collection of some of the finest examples of surreal art being created during our lifetimes. Ellison inspired by Yerka is a beauty to behold. This is Shakespeare inspire by DaVinci. This is Bradbury inspired by Dali. Yeats inspired by Michaelangelo.
The thing I love the most about Mind Fields is the flow of said inspiration veritably spills off the page. Between the brilliant combination of Jacek's imagery and Harlan's stories, it's impossible for your own imagination to cease churning. One look at the paintings and stories start forming in your own head. Then you read Harlan's prose and the paintings nearly come to life. You fear waters may drip upon your floor, so you hold the book less upright. You fear monsters may nip at your fingertips, so you draw your hand to the edge of the pages. No longer paintings, the images become windows to real worlds. That's what makes Mind Fields a unique work of art. A prime example of two artforms converging to create something greater than the sum of its parts. Mind Fields is more than a book of beautiful artwork; more than a book of glorious short stories. Instead it's a genuine gateway to imagination, opening doorways to otherworldly possibilities no story or image could do alone. Therein lies the power of Mind Fields. Melding two incredible artists to conjure something entirely new.
Not long ago in my career as a writer, I had the great honor of being a very small part of a project similar to Mind Fields called Tales From the Dark Tower. Dark fantasy artist Joe Vargo had created a number of paintings for the Tales From the Dark Tower anthology and I had the privilege of being one of the writers who contributed to it. With all due respect to the talents of Joe Vargo, I'm sure he would agree, we are no Yerka and Ellison. Nevertheless, Tales From the Dark Tower showed me a small hint of how excited Ellison must have felt when he wrote Mind Fields.
My only negative comment? The book is too short. Too thin. I would have loved for it to be two, three, four times as long! Every page is a wonder to behold and I would that they numbered into the hundreds.
This is a creation I can't recommend enough and encourage you to go buy it. This is truly a life enriching book that must be on your shelf and it will do what all great works of art should - take you to places more spellbinding than you have ever dreamed.
March 7, 2017
Beautiful art on good quality paper with vibrant colors accompanied by Ellison's polished and pithy stories or vignettes that complement each other perfectly. What's not to love?
May 23, 2014
Any project that involves Harlan Ellison really is a mine field...of explosive ideas, earth-shaking revelations, and mental confrontations that are not for the faint of heart. Link him up with the provocative artwork of Jacek Yerka and you wind up with something very special indeed. Mind Fields: The Art of Jacek Yerka/The Fiction of Harlan Ellison does just that. An extraordinary collection of 30 images by Yerka with short pieces by Ellison which tell his story about Yerka's artwork. As Ellison says, "...after you've read my interpretation, you can come back to Mr. Yerka's art time after time and invent a new story each visit."
As one might expect from Ellison, his interpretations are generally rather dark and nightmarish--but beautifully written and exquisitely detailed nightmares direct from the author's fertile imagination. Ellison may have an extraordinarily different point of view--but one thing is certain. The man can write. My favorites in this collection were among the shortest pieces ("The Silence," "Darkness Falls on the River," and "Paradise") with "Between Heaven and Hell" and "To Each His Own" closely following.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.
As one might expect from Ellison, his interpretations are generally rather dark and nightmarish--but beautifully written and exquisitely detailed nightmares direct from the author's fertile imagination. Ellison may have an extraordinarily different point of view--but one thing is certain. The man can write. My favorites in this collection were among the shortest pieces ("The Silence," "Darkness Falls on the River," and "Paradise") with "Between Heaven and Hell" and "To Each His Own" closely following.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.
May 12, 2013
An interesting concept book, MIND FIELDS presents 33 full-page color surrealist paintings by the Polish artist Jacek Yerka and 33 stories inspired by those paintings from award-winning speculative fiction writer Harlan Ellison.
The paintings were fun. They were at turns evocative, spooky, whimsical, and reverent. Yerka reminded me a less violent Salvador Dali, and these prints were well worth what I paid for the book.
The stories were not so consistent. Only four managed to match the tone and subject of the artwork, but also hold up as good standalone stories in and of themselves. These were "Fever", "Susan", "Between Heaven and Hell", and "Ellison Wonderland".
"The Agitators" and "Base" were solid short stories, but the first seemed to miss the tone of the painting altogether, and the second had almost nothing to do with the painting that inspired it. "Attack at Dawn" was a climactic scene that might have developed into a good story given the time to flesh its characters out. "Ammonite" and "Eruption" were good ideas, but they read like summaries of a story rather than the story itself. Many others just seemed like random brainstorming; they were cute, or shallow, or overtly political but not reflective of fully polished stories yet.
The paintings were fun. They were at turns evocative, spooky, whimsical, and reverent. Yerka reminded me a less violent Salvador Dali, and these prints were well worth what I paid for the book.
The stories were not so consistent. Only four managed to match the tone and subject of the artwork, but also hold up as good standalone stories in and of themselves. These were "Fever", "Susan", "Between Heaven and Hell", and "Ellison Wonderland".
"The Agitators" and "Base" were solid short stories, but the first seemed to miss the tone of the painting altogether, and the second had almost nothing to do with the painting that inspired it. "Attack at Dawn" was a climactic scene that might have developed into a good story given the time to flesh its characters out. "Ammonite" and "Eruption" were good ideas, but they read like summaries of a story rather than the story itself. Many others just seemed like random brainstorming; they were cute, or shallow, or overtly political but not reflective of fully polished stories yet.
June 5, 2017
I discovered Yerka's work accidentally. I bought a beautiful jigsaw puzzle which used one of his four-sided pictures.
The works in this book are beautiful, detailed, cosy or melancholic, or happy, or just a little angry. Each and every time I viewed a picture, I discovered yet another tiny detail I had missed the previous time.
Ellison's prose complements the artwork beautifully, it was such a pleasure to discover that the same picture could invoke so different associations in different people.
The works in this book are beautiful, detailed, cosy or melancholic, or happy, or just a little angry. Each and every time I viewed a picture, I discovered yet another tiny detail I had missed the previous time.
Ellison's prose complements the artwork beautifully, it was such a pleasure to discover that the same picture could invoke so different associations in different people.
April 3, 2014
The concept of this book is kick ass. Take a portrait and write a story to go with it. Jack Yerka's artwork is landscape eye openers. With Harlan Ellison's stories being the paint used to paint them with.
-Internal Inspection *a sci-fi ward, people getting their dreams sucked out*
-The Cosmic Backyard *A man sells his soul for his family's better living*
Other interesting stories: Susan, The Inquisition and Base
-Internal Inspection *a sci-fi ward, people getting their dreams sucked out*
-The Cosmic Backyard *A man sells his soul for his family's better living*
Other interesting stories: Susan, The Inquisition and Base
September 22, 2014
Ellison wrote stories to go with each painting by Yerka. An interesting concept in theory, although fans of either man's work may walk away frustrated. As an Ellison fan, I would say this was a nice try but that none of the stories rank with his best and that few of them are strong enough to work on their own. The paintings are detailed and suggestive. The book's layout has problems, especially the decision to stack up all the afterwords in the back. Oh well.
September 25, 2007
The premise of this book was pretty simple: Jacek Yerka provided Mr. Ellison with a group of his paintings, and Mr. Ellison wrote short stories (really short stories, most of them- heck, prose poems) as response/answer to them.
The artwork is stunning- and these are some of the best stories Mr. Ellison's written in decades.
The artwork is stunning- and these are some of the best stories Mr. Ellison's written in decades.
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