A great mind lost too soon, while so many closed and unused ones will outlast him. Seriously, fuck cancer.
Just saw the news on Digital Spy a moment ago. It comes shockingly soon after his illness was announced; I think he had been expected to last for several more months. He'll be sorely missed. The world of literature is now a less funny, insightful, erudite and humanistic place. His books, middle-initialled and otherwise, have always been a pleasure to read.
^Indeed. We knew this was coming, but I never expected it so soon. Do we know if he had any project left unfinished?
I had just found Complicity on the Netflix Monday, a sad synchronicity. Requiescat in pace. (And check for a pacemaker.)
According to the article about his passing on Tor his last book, a non-genre novel called The Quarry comes out the 20th. They also have a link to a story about the novel, which apparently follows the last few weeks in the life of a man dealing with cancer.
What's unavoidably sad is that he was still banging out solid sci-fi novels in recent years (Matter, Surface Detail and The Hydrogen Sonata), he was still quite young really, and a lot of creative potential was unfairly robbed by his cunting cancer. I'm particularly rattled by his death on a personal level since I met him in person at a book signing only last October. A tremendous creative talent that's walked down the Crow Road much too soon.
Very sad. I have to say I've never read any of his books, but I have a few on my kindle when I get round to it. RIP sir.
DAMN. DAMN. CRAP. HELL. DAMN. I found this online last night...it was made in 2004, and it's VERY well done. Apparently there were two more, by they have vanished from the interwebs unfortunately (I'd *really* like to see them if they still exist!) We really need a Culture-based movie... [yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ET8IFxPo61w&list=PLB296DFD0AFFEA9AB[/yt]
Nice tribute to Bank's writing here: http://io9.com/11-rules-of-good-writing-that-iain-m-banks-left-as-his-512191076
Sad news indeed. He wrote fun, intelligent space opera of an interesting utopian future. My favourite was Consider Phlebas, but all his books both sf and non-sf were worth reading.
Great novelists have a habit of dying comparatively young from their 30s to early 70s (Ian Fleming, HP Lovecraft, Isaac Asimov, Robert E. Howard, and Michael Crichton most notably - most recently Iain (M) Banks - and Terry Pratchett now well on his way out way before 80, etc etc etc).
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, DAMMIT!! Just heard (been away). The Hydrogen Sonata is a great novel, everyone here should read it, brilliant sci-fi. We've lost one of the greats, guys. We should have had more. Too soon, too soon. And... FUCK CANCER! FUCK CANCER! FUCK CANCER! FUCK CANCER!!!!!!!!!!