Iain Banks Announces He Has Terminal Cancer

ferrigan101

Very sad to hear that Iain Banks has announced he has terminal cancer.

http://www.iain-banks.net/2013/04/03/a-personal-statement-from-iain-banks/

http://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/books/features/iain-banks-reveals-he-is-dying-of-cancer-1-2874469

The bottom line, now, I’m afraid, is that as a late stage gall bladder cancer patient, I’m expected to live for ‘several months’ and it’s extremely unlikely I’ll live beyond a year. So it looks like my latest novel, The Quarry, will be my last.

Thoughts are with him and his family.

Andy-Pandy

I'm not ashamed to say i shed a tear when i heard this news.

Skatedude

K, that sucks. Ian Banks is one of my favorite authors. He will be missed:(

Duggys Housemate

Very sad

the_monkey

Very sad news.

Tristram

toomevara

F***-me, that's genuinely ****e news. The best sci-fi writer of his generation by light years, the Culture series is immense (and no, thats not post-imminent-death-announcement hyperbole, they are works of genuine genius). He's also responsible for one of my all time favourite books The Wasp Factory....what can you say?

Tontolicious

Loved his books.

Duggys Housemate

Pity we don't have Culture technology to save him.

toomevara

Nice piece in today's Guardian;

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2013/apr/03/iain-banks-my-fife-friend

Tom Joad

Really sad news and will be a tremendous loss. The Wasp factory is one of my favourite books of all time and its amazing to think it was his first novel..

r3nu4l

I read this the other day and felt numb. Such a talent. I loved the Wasp Factory, an amazing book. I also read a non fiction book of hiscalledRaw Spirit, in search of the perfect dram. It was a tour of the various Scottish Scotch distilleries. It was a good humoured book that gave insight into his character. He will be missed greatly.

fisgon

toomevara wrote: »

The best sci-fi writer of his generation by light years, the Culture series is immense (and no, thats not post-imminent-death-announcement hyperbole, they are works of genuine genius).

Agree with this 100%. His sci-fi novels are better than the others, but he is a talented writer in everything he does. And it is true that the Culture novels are works of genius. It will be a great loss.

Life is short, don't waste it.

CiDeRmAn

The news has been devastating, his books have been constant companions since the late 80's.
Other icons of the time, Stephen Baxter, Ken Mcleod, have fallen by the wayside, not living up to their early promise, but with Iain, the well never dried out.
A sad time indeed and my thoughts go to him, his family and the teenage boy I was way back then, thinking Culture books would never end.