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  • Iain [M] Banks
  • wwaswas
    Full Member

    Statment from his website below.

    He’s obviously not someone I know but it makes me sad that the world will be losing his talent so soon.


    I am officially Very Poorly.

    After a couple of surgical procedures, I am gradually recovering from jaundice caused by a blocked bile duct, but that – it turns out – is the least of my problems.

    I first thought something might be wrong when I developed a sore back in late January, but put this down to the fact I’d started writing at the beginning of the month and so was crouched over a keyboard all day. 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.

    I have cancer. It started in my gall bladder, has infected both lobes of my liver and probably also my pancreas and some lymph nodes, plus one tumour is massed around a group of major blood vessels in the same volume, effectively ruling out any chance of surgery to remove the tumours either in the short or long term.

    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.

    As a result, I’ve withdrawn from all planned public engagements and I’ve asked my partner Adele if she will do me the honour of becoming my widow (sorry – but we find ghoulish humour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. We intend to spend however much quality time I have left seeing friends and relations and visiting places that have meant a lot to us. Meanwhile my heroic publishers are doing all they can to bring the publication date of my new novel forward by as much as four months, to give me a better chance of being around when it hits the shelves.

    There is a possibility that it might be worth undergoing a course of chemotherapy to extend the amount of time available. However that is still something we’re balancing the pros and cons of, and anyway it is out of the question until my jaundice has further and significantly, reduced.
    Lastly, 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 being set up where friends, family and fans can leave messages for me and check on my progress. It should be up and running during this week and a link to it will be here on my official website as soon as it’s ready.

    Iain Banks

    user-removed
    Free Member

    Oh no! That’s very shit news 🙁 *shoots messenger*

    rusty90
    Free Member

    Damn. Just about my favourite modern author.
    😥

    camo16
    Free Member

    Sad news.

    AndyRT
    Free Member

    +1

    Pass me the tank buster…..

    Harry_the_Spider
    Full Member

    🙁

    Shibboleth
    Free Member

    Very sad indeed… The Crow Road is my favourite book, I’ve read it so many times my copy is falling to pieces.

    I shall look forward to savouring his last book…

    toxicsoks
    Free Member

    🙁 🙁 🙁
    Read just about all his stuff from Wasp Factory on…………..*is very sad*

    Brake-neck
    Free Member

    His Culture novels have got me through some rough times, very upsetting and an extraordinary talent to loose so early 🙁

    grum
    Free Member

    Damn. Just about my favourite modern author.

    +1

    Cancer is a horrible thing. 🙁

    hels
    Free Member

    That’s terrible, great writer, in both the With Space Ships and Without Space Ships categories.

    whatnobeer
    Free Member

    🙁

    wordnumb
    Free Member

    Very talented man, even that statement is exceptionally well written. Sad news.

    bigjim
    Full Member

    that’s a shame. I remember seeing him standing at Inverkeithing station shortly after I’d read The Bridge, which was quite surreal.

    wattsymtb
    Free Member

    I am absolutely gutted about this.

    A truely talented author. I have read a lot of his stuff.

    thepurist
    Full Member

    Bollix.

    xcwanabe
    Free Member

    What everyone else has said. The first Author whose books I’d eagerly await. Such imaginitive writing, coupled with use of local geography/places make all his books a pleasure to read.

    Crow road, The Bridge, Dead Air.

    cancer sucks.

    wattsymtb
    Free Member

    Apparently he wrote the wasp factory in his GCSE study leave. If this is true it is amazing.

    I would, however, have been very worried if I was his parents.

    anagallis_arvensis
    Full Member

    My favourite writer what awful news

    rewski
    Free Member

    truly awful news, just bought stonemouth a few weeks ago for my wife, very sad.

    big_scot_nanny
    Full Member

    Shite. Just a wee bit of Hydrogen Sonata left to go, and it is brilliant. I only started reading Banks as we went to the same High School, what a wonderful writer. I am enjoying Sonata tremendously.

    Hope he has a fabulous year.

    Kev

    Clong
    Free Member

    The culture novels are amongst my favourite, truly sad news.

    16stonepig
    Free Member

    Oh for ****’s mother****ing sake! Can cancer please just ****ing ****off!!

    Rio
    Full Member

    Really sad news, I think I’ve read every book he’s published, just finished “Walking on Glass” which I somehow missed when it first came out. Gutted.

    CountZero
    Full Member

    Damn. Damn damn damn damnf***ingnation! That is just desperately sad news. I absolutely love the Culture books, and look forward to the next one even as I read the latest. My heartfelt best wishes to Iain and his family. 🙁

    mogrim
    Full Member

    Gutted, one of my favourite authors 🙁

    fasthaggis
    Full Member

    Very ,very sad news.
    Read most of his books since Wasp factory,and went to a few of his book reading/signings ,funny man and very entertaining.
    I must dig out Espedair Street for another read.

    wordnumb
    Free Member

    The news appears to have crashed his website.

    Markie
    Free Member

    I am aware of, but haven’t read, his books – I keep meaning to.

    I hate (and fear) cancer. I’m sorry at the news.

    z1ppy
    Full Member

    crap news, just finished Hydrogen Sonata (had saved it for a weeks break away), throughly enjoyed it as always. Great great shame for him, his family & us fans.

    bencooper
    Free Member

    ****. **** **** ****.

    A brilliant author, and a truly nice bloke too from other stuff I’ve read by and about him.

    wonkey_donkey
    Free Member

    so sad…..my made did his dissertation on his Culture novels for his English degree, i had to type them all up on a computer for him, i ended up reading just about everything he’s written.

    Very sad news 🙁

    TPTcruiser
    Full Member

    Damnation, this cancer stuff keeps taking, whoever you may be. A great writer. Excession is the one novel I keep going back to for new angles on the story but Use of Weapons and Surface Detail are challengers after the latter’s ending!
    I feel a Bullheart donation coming on.
    Edit: Ah, a redirect to another site…

    gordimhor
    Full Member

    Aw shit, always an interesting and entertaining writer read most of his books without m. The Crow Road is one of my all time favourites. I will be heading to the library this afternoon to get some of the Iain M Banks books. At least we have a new one to look forward to.

    crewlie
    Full Member

    Just heard this on the radio. I’m not sure I even want to believe it. Damn bloody disease.

    Del
    Full Member

    just heard this on the radio. am just reading ‘stonemouth’. this will be the tremendous and sad loss of a great writer and a chap who’s always come across as a thoroughly nice bloke.
    bugger.

    wwaswas
    Full Member

    As mentioned in his letter a new site is up and there’s a guest book;

    http://friends.banksophilia.com/

    WackoAK
    Free Member

    Gutted, far and away my favorite author.

    I consider myself lucky to have met him at a few book launches. At least he’s keeping his sense of dark humour intact with the “asked her to be my widow”.

    nicko74
    Full Member

    Just heard it this morning, and a real shock. Not that he (probably) reads STW*, but still, incredibly sad for such a talent.

    *he might – see the “anyone famous” thread! 😉

    StefMcDef
    Free Member

    That’s a real shame – intelligent guy, a talented writer with his heart very much in the right place. Always loved the way he brought Scotland alive in his books, giving you a real sense of the place. He seems set to continue in the same vein and live what life he has left to the full. All the best to him.

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