Ian Banks has died at the age of 59.

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**Mr. Burning**

Sad news, even though we knew it was coming.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-22835047

Author Iain Banks has died aged 59, two months after announcing he had terminal cancer, his family has said.

The Scottish writer revealed in April he was suffering from terminal gall bladder cancer and was unlikely to live for more than a year.

He was best known for his novels The Wasp Factory, The Crow Road and Complicity.

In a statement, his publisher said he was "an irreplaceable part of the literary world".

I had only just got into reading his works.

**Compel**

He pretty much had the greatest starship names ever!

EG:

I Said, I've Got A Big Stick
I Blame My Mother
I Blame Your Mother
Boo!

**Bromsy**

Yeah, lame.

**RossDas**

Sad news. Rest in peace.

**Wyrmalla**

Aww hell. I just seen him in an interview on the BBC a few days ago. =(

**dæl**

"Pity they didn’t devote a little more ingenuity to staying alive rather than conducting mass slaughter as efficiently as possible."

**Hedgehog**

Sad although expected news. Will be very greatly missed by lovers of good writing everywhere.

**Kilkrazy**

And so The Culture comes to an end.

Very sad to be diagnosed and die so quickly. I hope he managed to marry in time.

Iain M. Banks was undoubtedly one of the best SF authors of the current generation.

I have read all his SF books except the last one, and several of his non-genre fiction as well.

**Noble713**

Damn, no more Culture novels.

RIP