British Writer Iain Banks Reveals He Is Dying Of Cancer.

Biggins · 03-04-2013 3:07pm #1

Mods - please free free to move this if its posted in what you consider a wrong section.
If it is, I sincerely apologise.

Mr Banks announced today of his impending passing though his website and also that his publisher, Little Brown, would bring forward publication of The Quarry, his latest novel, by four months “to give me a better chance of being around when it hits the shelves”.

Staring his public message with “I am officially Very Poorly”, Mr Banks, 59, informed the world he developed a bad back in January but put his discomfort to the fact that he had begun writing at the beginning of the month, and so had been crouched for days over a keyboard.

“When it hadn’t gone away by mid-February, I went to my GP, who spotted that I had jaundice. Blood tests, an ultrasound scan and then a CT scan revealed the full extent of the grisly truth by the start of March.”

He has been found to have late stage gall bladder cancer, which has infected his liver, pancreas and probably some of his lymph nodes.

“I’m expected to live for ‘several months and it’s extremely unlikely I’ll live beyond a year. As a result, I’ve withdrawn from all planned public engagements and I’ve asked my partner Adele if she will do me the honour of becoming my widow (sorry – but we find ghoulish humour helps). By the time this goes out we’ll be married and on a short honeymoon.”

Mr Banks is a prolific writer, and, with Neil Gaiman, one of the few to have topped both the fiction and science-fiction bestsellers lists. Under the name Iain M Banks he has published 12 sci-fi novels; The Quarry will be his 15th work of “ordinary” fiction, though some novels, such as Transition, bridge the gap between genres effortlessly.

Mr Banks, who lives in North Queensferry in Fife, said he was considering a course of chemotherapy, “to extend the amount of time available”.

He ended: “I’d like to add that from my GP onwards, the professionalism of the medics involved — and the speed with which the resources of the NHS in Scotland have been deployed — has been exemplary, and the standard of care deeply impressive. We’re all just sorry the outcome hasn’t been more cheerful.”

A website is to be established this week on which family and fans can post messages to Mr Banks.

http://friends.banksophilia.com/

I would like to extend the utmost sympathy to Mr Banks and his new wife for the situation they have found themselves in. I hope their remaining time will be one of best comfort together possible.

Lollipops23 · 03-04-2013 3:10pm

How sad

I've been close to someone who's had that kind of quick "feeling ill" to passing in a short timeframe. It's traumatic and I don't think people even get a chance to process it until after it's all over.

Hope his last few months are good ones and he doesn't suffer too much.

Duggy747 · 03-04-2013 3:31pm

Fùckin' cancer.

Knew a guy who owned a 2nd hand shop, really nice guy whom I used to have all sorts of chat with about old music and movies. One day I went to his shop and saw it was closed. Found out 2 weeks later that he was dead.

He went to the hospital over some pains, was then told he had terminal cancer and was dead a short time later. From what his family said it came completely out of the blue for him.

Hell of a thing to process that you only have a relatively small time-frame left.

--Kaiser-- · 03-04-2013 3:46pm

Does this mean Iain M Banks is also dying of cancer?

siltirocker · 03-04-2013 3:48pm

Shame.

I loved the Wasp Factory.

mike65 · 03-04-2013 3:50pm

James Herbert popped his clogs the other week, Stephen King better stay in bed.

Aglomerado · 03-04-2013 3:52pm

siltirocker wrote: »

Shame.

I loved the Wasp Factory.

And me, what an imagination! He's a great writer. Sad to think that this next book will be his last.

jester77 · 03-04-2013 3:53pm

will do me the honour of becoming my widow

Sad news, yet that still made me smile. Hope he can get his book published in time.

Shenshen · 03-04-2013 3:58pm

siltirocker wrote: »

Shame.

I loved the Wasp Factory.

So did I... I'm curious now, though. Is the article about Iain M Banks, or Iain Banks?
I was always under the impression they were two different people?

Biggins · 03-04-2013 4:01pm

Shenshen wrote: »

So did I... I'm curious now, though. Is the article about Iain M Banks, or Iain Banks?
I was always under the impression they were two different people?

A simple google search would easily solve your question: http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2013/apr/03/iain-banks-gall-bladder-cancer

...Or you could just simply click the link in the very first post?

pickarooney · 03-04-2013 4:03pm

Shenshen wrote: »

So did I... I'm curious now, though. Is the article about Iain M Banks, or Iain Banks?
I was always under the impression they were two different people?

Same person, science fiction books written with the "M.", lit-fic without.

Shenshen · 03-04-2013 4:06pm

pickarooney wrote: »

Same person, science fiction books written with the "M.", lit-fic without.

Damn... I am actually reading Stonemouth at the moment.

Thanks for the link to the article, Biggins. That is very sad indeed.

Andy-Pandy · 03-04-2013 4:07pm

With or without the M he is one of my favourite authors. If you havent read any of his Culture series you should. Such an amazing talent, and so sad, but what a legacy to leave behind.

ado100 · 03-04-2013 4:09pm

Very sad - I've been a huge Iain Banks fan and read every non-science fiction book he wrote from The Wasp Factory to Stonemouth - I believe there's another book to be released this year, The Quarry, I'm looking forward to it.

Andy-Pandy · 03-04-2013 4:13pm

ado100 wrote: »

Very sad - I've been a huge Iain Banks fan and read every non-science fiction book he wrote from The Wasp Factory to Stonemouth - I believe there's another book to be released this year, The Quarry, I'm looking forward to it.

Have you read his Sci-fi stuff? It is incredible.

ado100 · 03-04-2013 4:21pm

Andy-Pandy wrote: »

Have you read his Sci-fi stuff? It is incredible.

No, not a Sci-Fi fan.

(I will probably be banned for life for saying that in an After Hours thread!)

Hoop66 · 03-04-2013 4:25pm

Very sad news.

IMO the best British writer around at the moment. I have been a near-obsessive fan since reading The Bridge on a boring boat trip. Couldn't wait to get home to start finding other books by him.

The Culture novels, just amazing. Currently reading Surface Detail and it is utterly engrossing.

Heart goes out to him and his family.

Carter P Fly · 03-04-2013 4:31pm

feersum endjinn was a work of Genius.

Sometimes his books were tough reading but they were monumentally great.

I shall mourn his passing but know my children and their children will read his books so hes not really dying at all.

Andy-Pandy · 03-04-2013 4:35pm

ado100 wrote: »

No, not a Sci-Fi fan.

(I will probably be banned for life for saying that in an After Hours thread!)

Sci-fi fan are not you should give them a read. If you liked his normal fiction you would enjoy it. It's more than just sci-fi.

theUbiq · 03-04-2013 4:37pm

Seen this in The Guardian - very sad news, love this guys books.

alchemist33 · 03-04-2013 4:49pm

--Kaiser-- wrote: »

Does this mean Iain M Banks is also dying of cancer?

Yes, but at least Iain M can be downloaded into a Mind.

(very sad news. I'm Reading The Hydrogen Sonata at the moment and it's brilliant. A giant of SF, he'll be sorely missed)

seenitall · 03-04-2013 5:27pm

Ugh, I hated The Wasp Factory. It just made me feel slightly nauseous and icky.

59 is still too young to go like that, felled by that sneaky fcuker, C.

My sympathies.