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Iain M Banks has terminal cancer - not long to live
Posted: Sat Apr 06, 2013 1:10 am
by Diziet Sma
I'm totally gutted. Just finished reading
The Hydrogen Sonata last night, as it happens. And then today, I learn this..
This sums up his sense of humour - he hurriedly got married after he found out, asking his girlfriend: "if she will do me the honour of becoming my widow"
http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/home ... n.20710951
Miracles occasionally happen.. I really hope one happens for him.
More details on his condition here:
http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/home ... 1364984855
Re: Iain M Banks has terminal cancer - not long to live
Posted: Sat Apr 06, 2013 5:30 am
by CommRLock78
That's awful - but on the bright side, you got a chance to perhaps drop him a line. Unfortunately, an author who means a lot to me,
John Seymour had passed away about a year before I read his book,
Blueprint for a Green Planet, which, sadly, although over 20 years old, is just as poignant today as it was then. (
The Forgotten Arts And Crafts is a really neat one as well - I just wish it were a little more in depth as apposed to an overview.)
Edit to fix non-working "wp" link (I suspect that the parentheses have something to do with why [wp=John_Seymour_(author)]John Seymour[/wp] isn't working properly.
Re: Iain M Banks has terminal cancer - not long to live
Posted: Sat Apr 06, 2013 6:22 am
by PhantorGorth
I know both Iain and Adele (if not that well), though I haven't seen either in the last few years. It is very sad and Iain will be sorely missed. As Stephen Fry put it he is two of the nation's best authors, and as I will add, a really nice guy.
Re: Iain M Banks has terminal cancer - not long to live
Posted: Sat Apr 06, 2013 7:33 am
by DaddyHoggy
Sorry guys, I saw the announcement the day Iain put it up on his website - but I was too numbed to mention it here.
Re: Iain M Banks has terminal cancer - not long to live
Posted: Sat Apr 06, 2013 9:58 am
by Diziet Sma
PhantorGorth wrote: he is ... a really nice guy.
I have a friend who also knows him personally, and he says the same thing..
He's a lovely bloke & a brilliant writer, someone who is never backward about getting his round in at the bar (in fact it's hard work buying him a drink).
Re: Iain M Banks has terminal cancer - not long to live
Posted: Sat Apr 06, 2013 7:35 pm
by Cody
Diziet Sma wrote:... asking his girlfriend: "if she will do me the honour of becoming my widow"...
Yeah, I quoted that line elsewhere a few days ago - it says much about him. I've greatly enjoyed both his
flavours of fiction... sad news indeed!
Re: Iain M Banks has terminal cancer - not long to live
Posted: Sat Apr 06, 2013 8:12 pm
by DaddyHoggy
Cody wrote:Diziet Sma wrote:... asking his girlfriend: "if she will do me the honour of becoming my widow"...
Yeah, I quoted that line elsewhere a few days ago - it says much about him. I've greatly enjoyed both his
flavours of fiction... sad news indeed!
It will make watching "Hot Fuzz" poignant as well as humorous.
Re: Iain M Banks has terminal cancer - not long to live
Posted: Mon Apr 08, 2013 1:36 pm
by maaarcooose
I'm probably gonna get chastised here, but I've not read any of his books but I've always been aware of his Sci-fi works.
Someone please recommend one for me so I can catch up on what I'm missing.
!m!
Re: Iain M Banks has terminal cancer - not long to live
Posted: Mon Apr 08, 2013 1:47 pm
by Disembodied
Hi Maaarcooose: for the Culture novels, it's best to start at the beginning, I think, with Consider Phlebas. Orbit published a boxed set last year of the first three Culture novels (Consider Phlebas, The Player of Games and Use of Weapons) if you want to get a bargain. But - for all sorts of reasons - I'd recommend Consider Phlebas as the starting point.
For non-Culture stuff, Against a Dark Background is a good read, and less ... odd ... than Feersum Endjinn and more straightforward than The Algebraist. Not that the latter is "difficult" or anything - just chunky.
Re: Iain M Banks has terminal cancer - not long to live
Posted: Mon Apr 08, 2013 1:58 pm
by Cody
Definitely start with Consider Phlebas... and if you want a taste of his other (not sci-fi) fiction, try The Bridge or Espedair Street.
Re: Iain M Banks has terminal cancer - not long to live
Posted: Mon Apr 08, 2013 2:49 pm
by DaddyHoggy
Cody wrote:Definitely start with Consider Phlebas... and if you want a taste of his other (not sci-fi) fiction, try The Bridge or Espedair Street.
Complicity is my non-SF favourite - mainly because it also contains references to 16-bit computing and the game
Despot (which I presume Iain made up)
Re: Iain M Banks has terminal cancer - not long to live
Posted: Mon Apr 08, 2013 3:10 pm
by Disembodied
Despot is probably based on
Civilization, which Iain got seriously addicted to (to the point where he had to de-install it from his computer to meet an already late deadline) and which is referenced to in other books too, e.g. the description of an "Outside Context Problem" from
Excession:
The usual example given to illustrate an Outside Context Problem was imagining you were a tribe on a largish, fertile island; you'd tamed the land, invented the wheel or writing or whatever, the neighbours were cooperative or enslaved but at any rate peaceful and you were busy raising temples to yourself with all the excess productive capacity you had, you were in a position of near-absolute power and control which your hallowed ancestors could hardly have dreamed of and the whole situation was just running along nicely like a canoe on wet grass ... when suddenly this bristling lump of iron appears sailless and trailing steam in the bay and these guys carrying long funny-looking sticks come ashore and announce you've just been discovered, you're all subjects of the Emperor now, he's keen on presents called tax and these bright-eyed holy men would like a word with your priests.
Apparently, it was losing at
Civilization which game him this idea ...
Re: Iain M Banks has terminal cancer - not long to live
Posted: Tue Apr 09, 2013 12:29 am
by Tricky
Disembodied wrote:Hi Maaarcooose: for the Culture novels, it's best to start at the beginning, I think, with Consider Phlebas. Orbit published a boxed set last year of the first three Culture novels (Consider Phlebas, The Player of Games and Use of Weapons) if you want to get a bargain. But - for all sorts of reasons - I'd recommend Consider Phlebas as the starting point.
These 3 are my favourite Culture novels closely followed by the the latest and sadly last novel, The Hydrogen Sonata.
The State of the Art is also a good "light" Culture primer.
Re: Iain M Banks has terminal cancer - not long to live
Posted: Sun Jun 09, 2013 3:46 pm
by Cody
He has passed from this world - a great loss!
I think he referenced
this song in one of his early novels - he had good taste in music.
Re: Iain M Banks has terminal cancer - not long to live
Posted: Sun Jun 09, 2013 4:12 pm
by Tichy
Sad news...
