Iain (M) Banks RIP
Posted by: Brad S on 10 June 2013
I was saddened to hear on the news this morning that Iain Banks has passed away. In his recent revelation about his diagnosis he expected to have at least a year. Sadly it appears he had far less time than anticipated. I was hoping that we might have had one last message from The Culture. Lets hope he sublimed and exists in another universe alongside his creations.
He will be missed.
Posted on: 10 June 2013 by Colin Lorenson
Yesterday was not a good day for me with this news coming through. More than a few tears were shed. I had hoped he would have longer but it was not to be. Met him once and he was clearly a great bloke as all his interviews and friends seem to attest. Another great Mind passes, hopefully to his Land of Infinite Fun.
Posted on: 10 June 2013 by Bruce Woodhouse
A sadness to lose somebody who seemed to be very much at the peak of his powers. The Crow Road is a real favourite, and The Culture books have also given me significant pleasure.
Bruce
Posted on: 10 June 2013 by spartacus
Yes very sad... I'll just have to read his books again.
Posted on: 10 June 2013 by JamieWednesday
Apparently he died 'peacefully and without pain'... Perhaps more humane and dignified than those 'forced' to live on in great pain and with no peace at all...I wonder if there will be any revelations.
Posted on: 10 June 2013 by Bruce Woodhouse
Jamie
Maybe you know something I do not but I can assure you many of my patents have had peaceful, painless and dignified deaths at home with good palliative care under existing 'rules'. Not all, but many.
Bruce
Posted on: 10 June 2013 by Forester
According to the Radio Times, at 9pm this Wednesday (12 June) on BBC2 Scotland there is an hour long programme - Iain Banks: Raw Spirit. The details about the programme state:
"In April Iain Banks announced that he had inoperable gall bladder cancer and was unlikely to live for more than a year. In this interview he talks to Kirsty Wark about his life, his career and how he has coped with the prospect of death."
Presumably those south of the border without a satellite dish catch it on BBC iPlayer.
Posted on: 10 June 2013 by JamieWednesday
Hi Bruce, not at all. But I believe it was expected to be a drawn out and painful illness over some time, up to a year to die and he seemed to take this on with great stoicism, along the lines of 'right, that's it, got to sort everything else out and then that's that'. I'm sue you'll know and have vastly more experience about these things than me but I just got an impression early on that he did not intend to hang about once things were sorted.
Posted on: 10 June 2013 by Tabby cat
I will miss his fine books.Must re read the wasp factory again.
RIP
Posted on: 10 June 2013 by Bruce Woodhouse
Originally Posted by JamieWednesday:
Hi Bruce, not at all. But I believe it was expected to be a drawn out and painful illness over some time, up to a year to die and he seemed to take this on with great stoicism, along the lines of 'right, that's it, got to sort everything else out and then that's that'. I'm sue you'll know and have vastly more experience about these things than me but I just got an impression early on that he did not intend to hang about once things were sorted.
Without knowing any more than what was in the public domain he had a cholangiocarcinoma, a fairly unusual malignancy of the galballdder/bile duct. They tend to do pretty badly unfortunately and rarely survive more than a few months after diagnosis.
Bruce
Posted on: 10 June 2013 by Bananahead
Originally Posted by Forester:
For those that haven't read this non-fiction book by Iain, It is well worth it.
Posted on: 10 June 2013 by dave marshall
A sad loss of one of our more skilled wordsmiths. 
Will miss the anticipation during the wait for the publication of his next piece.
RIP
Posted on: 11 June 2013 by JamieWednesday
LIkewise.
However, in a lighter vein, the new Space Captain Smith is out in August...
