A personal statement from Iain Banks

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**reds8n**

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

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As a result, I’ve withdrawn from all planned public engagements and I’ve asked my partner Adele if she will do me the honour of becoming my widow (sorry – but we find ghoulish humour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 on my official website at www.iain-banks.net as soon as it’s ready.

Iain Banks

dreadful news indeed. Sooner we can eradicate this ghastly illness the better.

**Albatross**

Man. That blows. I really enjoy his work.

**marv335**

That sucks donkey balls.
A truly talented author.

**RossDas**

That's terrible news; one of my favourite authors.

**MeanGreenStompa**

I've loved his books. An amazing talent. Cancer is a terrible thing and has taken far too many from us.

**filbert**

I applaud his decision to release a statement for his fans. At least all you fans get a chance to understand and prepare for what is coming and enjoy the last novel. Michael Crichton (one of my favourite authors) died suddenly without many even knowing he was ill at all and it came as such a shock.

**Easy E**

I wish him the best.

**Orlanth**

Iain Banks has a very distinct writing style and a singular mind, he will be missed. Maybe he will pass on The Culture to another author.

While trajic for the individual concerned and their family but, is cancer is truly an evil or a winnowing to ensure there are not so many of us that we rape the earth.

**MeanGreenStompa**

Poster removed as off topic.

**Orlanth**

We have to die of something, if cancer is gone the next plague will get us.

I wonder if it would make our end any sweeter or just more lingering.

Hey, I am nort saying I love cancer, its just that those who wish to eradicate the disease ought to look at the consequences if everyone lived 30 years longer.

Golden retirement eh? Careful what you wish for.

**Frazzled**

Orlanth wrote:
We have to die of something, if cancer is gone the next plague will get us.

I wonder if it would make our end any sweeter or just more lingering.

Hey, I am nort saying I love cancer, its just that those who wish to eradicate the disease ought to look at the consequences if everyone lived 30 years longer.

Golden retirement eh? Careful what you wish for.

My mother died from cancer
My father died from cancer
TBone is dying from cancer

It is a horrible way to die. For you to make such statements is at best trolling. At worst I'd like to take you around St. Jude's and see all the children dying. Then talk to me about it being a winnowing.

I'm not saying what I want to say as it would rightly get me banned.

**MeanGreenStompa**

Poster removed as off topic.

**reds8n**

I think it better we just chalk this one up to different views and, perhaps, ill timed or poorly chosen words and move on back more towards the OT.

Thanks.

**Kilkrazy**

Very sad news. I have all his SF books and several of his non-genre fiction. There aren't many writers who achieve that amount of success in two separate fields.

Banks is arguably among the top three SF writers in Britain today.

I'm not sure anyone could take over the Culture. His last Culture novel didn't receive such good reviews as normal, perhaps indicating the background is played out.

**Alpharius**

Banks is one of my favorite SF authors, right up there with Asher for me.

He'll be missed...

**Albatross**

Frazzled wrote:
Orlanth wrote:
We have to die of something, if cancer is gone the next plague will get us.

I wonder if it would make our end any sweeter or just more lingering.

Hey, I am nort saying I love cancer, its just that those who wish to eradicate the disease ought to look at the consequences if everyone lived 30 years longer.

Golden retirement eh? Careful what you wish for.

My mother died from cancer
My father died from cancer
TBone is dying from cancer

It is a horrible way to die. For you to make such statements is at best trolling. At worst I'd like to take you around St. Jude's and see all the children dying. Then talk to me about it being a winnowing.

I'm not saying what I want to say as it would rightly get me banned.

...and yet you talk so flippantly about massacring huge numbers of foreign people all too often. I mean, you talk about leveling foreign cities as a way of solving diplomatic disputes - what do you think the families of people who lose their lives in those sort of incidents would make of your comments? To call Orlanth a troll is ridiculously hypocritical on your part in light of your behaviour on these boards. Orlanth is entitled to his opinion. Suck it up, buttercup.

Not that I agree with him or anything. I think he's nuts.

Anyway... I've only ever read Banks' general fiction stuff, but I really enjoyed it. Is his Sci-fi worth checking out? Where's a good place to start?

**Kilkrazy**

Consider Phlebas is the start of the loosely connected "Culture" series of novels.

He also wrote several non-Culture SF books which are a good read, and a book of short stories.

Against a Dark Background
Feersum Enjinn
The Algebraist
The State of the Art (short stories)

You'll no doubt find full details of these and the Culture books on Wikipedia.

**Ouze**

I feel two was about this.

On the one hand, one my my closest friends was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer a few days ago, He has 2 months to live, maybe 4 at best. He also used to be my coworker, so I've had people coming up to me nonstop to pump me for information. It's an awful situation.

On the other hand I felt a momentary relief because I do not know who this author is and for a moment I thought this was a post from Insaniak.

**Orlanth**

Albatross wrote:

Not that I agree with him or anything. I think he's nuts.

Are those two comments specifically related?

Albatross wrote:

Anyway... I've only ever read Banks' general fiction stuff, but I really enjoyed it. Is his Sci-fi worth checking out? Where's a good place to start?

His science fiction is either bleakly dystopian or highly utopian dependent on the novel concerned. Iain M Banks is unique amongst authors for being able to write ultra-tech plausibly. The Culture (the utopian half of his science fiction writings) is so advanced that it makes the technology from Star Wars/Star Trek./40K pretty much anything seem like cavemen rubbing rocks together. Death Star class superlaser? Call that standard armament for a regular civilian vessel or demilitarised warship. Their AI is so advanced as to be godlike, complete with near omnipotence/omniscience and any other omni you can put together; yet without any of Asimovs laws to guide them.
We have seen ultra-tech before EE Doc Smith wrote ultra-tech in the 1920's, but all his character ended up Mary Sues or heavily 'munchkined'. Iain M Banks and he alone has written ultra-tech that feel plausible, livable and reasonably challenged to drive a plot without the power escalation common to the genre.
The only possible comparison that hold a candle to it are the Gallifreyan Time Lords, and admittedly The Culture uses neither time travel nor extra dimensional space, so the Doctor has one up on them, and like The Culture doesn't throw his weight around as much as he actually technologically can.

**Perkustin**

Literally, my favourite Author. Pretty darn gutted.

**Sgt_Scruffy**

I had just picked up a couple of Culture books based upon recommendations from people on this forum. So far I've enjoyed the book. My sister died of pancreatic cancer two and half years ago and it is a horrible way to go. I'm praying for him and his family.

**Orlanth**

Sgt_Scruffy wrote:
I had just picked up a couple of Culture books based upon recommendations from people on this forum. So far I've enjoyed the book.

Horza's in deep gak?

**Sgt_Scruffy**

Orlanth wrote:
Sgt_Scruffy wrote:
I had just picked up a couple of Culture books based upon recommendations from people on this forum. So far I've enjoyed the book.

Horza's in deep gak?

Yeah, the Idirans are doing bad, bad things in the tunnels

**Orlanth**

You are in for a real treat. Welcome to The Culture, get them all. You need not read them in order, but it helps.

**Sgt_Scruffy**

Actually, I have already ordered all of 'em. What is the correct "order"

**Orlanth**

Strictly there isn't one, but it is probably best to read them in the order they are written. there are a few recurring themes best introduced to in that order. As far as I remember there is only open linking character, and that is purely incidental because Grey Area is truly unique, for which everyone else in his peer group is frankly rather grateful.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_series

Automatically Appended Next Post:
I found the Culture primer that the author wrote nineteen years ago. Well worth the read and it wont spoiler you:

http://nuwen.net/culture.html

**Laughing Man**

I literally cried when I read the news. :(

Orlanth wrote:
Strictly there isn't one, but it is probably best to read them in the order they are written. there are a few recurring themes best introduced to in that order. As far as I remember there is only open linking character, and that is purely incidental because Grey Area is truly unique, for which everyone else in his peer group is frankly rather grateful.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_series

Automatically Appended Next Post:
I found the Culture primer that the author wrote nineteen years ago. Well worth the read and it wont spoiler you:

http://nuwen.net/culture.html

There's actually a second recurring character that shows up in Surface Detail, but I can't say who it is without massively spoiling the end. Which makes this all even more horribly sad, because it feels like he was about to start showing up in more books. :(

**Peregrine**

Today is a sad, sad day. I love the Culture novels, Banks is easily my favorite author. And to have it all end, out of nowhere and in such a horrible way...

Sgt_Scruffy wrote:
Actually, I have already ordered all of 'em. What is the correct "order"

Publication order is best, with one exception: read Look to Windward first. There aren't huge ties between books, but you'll appreciate all the little details more if you know what they're talking about. The one exception is because Consider Phlebas was the first novel and it really shows, IMO it's the weakest of the series so if you want to get a good impression it's best to start elsewhere. Look to Windward is IMO the most accessible one as a new reader, the plot is fairly straightforward so you can focus on learning the setting, and the technology and background of the setting is explained instead of taken for granted (for example, trying to read the ship conversations in Excession will be much less enjoyable if you don't have a good idea of what Culture ships are like).

Laughing Man wrote:
There's actually a second recurring character that shows up in Surface Detail, but I can't say who it is without massively spoiling the end. Which makes this all even more horribly sad, because it feels like he was about to start showing up in more books. :(

SPOILER. DO NOT READ THIS UNLESS YOU HAVE READ THE CULTURE NOVELS, YOU WILL RUIN ONE OF THE BEST PARTS OF THE BOOK.

Spoiler:

**Laughing Man**

Spoilered for similar reasons to the above.

Spoiler:

**Agent_Tremolo**

One of the best, if not the best sci-fi author of the current batch.

You know, there have been times when I've threatened to become disillusioned with the genre. And then, in those moments when my love for sci-fi seemed to flicker and fade, Mr. Banks came with a brand new novel to rock my foundations and prove me that science fiction still had a lot to offer.

I wish him the best.