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A Personal Statement from Iain Banks
- csmattryder 14y agoAppears the site is down (deleted?) The BBC have a news article on this: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-22015175 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-22015175
- zerovox 14y agoHis publishers have the full statement: http://www.littlebrown.co.uk/a-personal-statment-iain-banks.page http://www.littlebrown.co.uk/a-personal-statment-iain-banks....
- j_jochem 14y agoDamn, this sounds like a Klatskin tumor, a "rare" cancer. My father hat that kind of tumor as well. He died within 8 weeks of first developing jaundice. Let's stop trying to make people click on cheery-colored buttons and do something about this fucking disease instead.
- bwhite 14y agoGetting rich and improving the economy is almost certainly the best thing you can do to combat disease, pollution, poverty, etc.
- dbpatterson 14y agoOr by doing the actual medical research that will fix these problems. Seriously, not everything is solved by money - most is fixed by smart people figuring stuff out. If all the smart people spend their time trying to make money, who is going to do the research?
- partomniscient 14y agoIndeed. If you stand back far enough the behaviour of humanity seems completely insane. I wish I knew what to do.
- SoftwareMaven 14y agoExcept diseases like cancer are almost exclusive to "western" society. The more affluent we become, the more cancer and other non-contagious diseases we get. We are killing ourselves and it starts with the stuff our mothers eat, is made worse by what we eat, and is topped of by the environment we live in.
- Nursie 14y agoErr.... no. It's more prevalent in some societies because we live longer and we don't any longer die of preventable infections. Our air is cleaner than it's been for a long time. Decent nutrition has never been cheaper or more widely available. Life expectancy has never been longer. We are not killing ourselves. OK so some are by overeating and doing no exercise, but in general you're talking nonsense.
- MrBra 14y agoand we've never ate so many chemical food preservatives, taste modifiers, colourants like we're eating now. we've never been exposed to so much radiations like we are now. mobile phones being the first source. and the list goes on. we definitely are doing something to ourselves.
- Nursie 14y agoand we've never ate so many chemical food preservatives, taste modifiers, colourants like we're eating now. we've never been exposed to so much radiations like we are now. mobile phones being the first source. yes we might be killing ourselves This doesn't change the fact we're living longer, healthier lives than ever before. I'm sure there's a lot more that we could be doing, I'm sure that there are things we do that we should stop doing for our own health BUT none of this supports the notion that cancer is a disease of western privilege and we're doing everything wrong. We're doing more right than we've ever done.
- MrBra 14y agoand yes i forgot sugar and lifestyle
- robin_reala 14y agoGoogle Cache: https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iain-banks.net%2F2013%2F04%2F03%2Fa-personal-statement-from-iain-banks%2F https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:http%3...
- anu_gupta 14y agoBy a large margin my favourite author. The Wasp Factory was the first novel of his I read and it was great, but Consider Phlebas and The Player of Games utterly blew my mind.
- satori99 14y agoAgreed. I became a fan of his after reading just a few chapters of The Player of Games, and have since read almost everything he has ever published. He is an author of extraordinary skill.
- xradionut 14y agoThe Player of Games is one of the few sci-fi books I recommend to readers interested in the genre.
- StavrosK 14y agoWhich Banks book should I start with? I was going to start with the Player of Games after your comment, but it turns out it's part of a series, and Consider Phlebas is the first one. Does it matter?
- jvzr 14y agoI've read in a Amazon review that it is recommended to start with Consider Phlebas, then The Player of Games and finally Use of Weapons (as a first start into the Culture, that is). I've bought them three myself and will read them in this order.
- edem 14y ago404.
- phreeza 14y agoMy favorite science fiction author, got sucked in by Matter, then quickly proceeded to read all Culture books. Use of Weapons is my favorite, has the perfect mix between the dark character and the utopian Culture space opera.
- stevejalim 14y agoYep, Use of Weapons is my favourite too. Transition really stuck with me, as well.
- cstuder 14y agoThe official site seems to be down, but BBC has confirmed the news: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-22015175 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-22015175 Sad. I really, really enjoyed the Culture novels. Somehow, I felt like he was the only true optimist in the Science Fiction genre.
- Nursie 14y agoShit. Amazing author. I want to live in the Culture. And I want to read new books by him forever, this is not allowed.
- ed_blackburn 14y agoGutted, incredible author. Am going to miss my Culture novels dripping through every few years. :-(
- madaxe 14y agoDamn. It's always the good guys :(
- 3amOpsGuy 14y agoI never read any of the "M" banks books but i read a few of his regular ones when i was a teenager. I remember thinking at the time, the wasp factory was a book i'd not forget, yet i can only vaguely recall the plot and some events! Espedair Street on the other hand i can recall pretty much everything. It's funny what you remember.
- drucken 14y agoI was like you at the same age, and I wondered what the fuss was about. Then I read his first Culture novel... I never looked back! They are my favorite sci-fi series ever and I have read a TON of sci-fi and fantasy in my life now (mostly sci-fi when younger).
- arethuza 14y agoOf all of his books I too have a soft spot for Espedair Street - Glasgow, Weird, and that utterly wonderful opening.
- tjic 14y agoIndeed; I've re-read it several times. A great book.
- deleted 14y ago[deleted]
- swombat 14y agoI am very upset about that... In my opinion he's the best living science fiction author... but not for long, I guess... :-( I've read most of his books (all of his SF books). The Culture is an amazing universe, but the rest of his works are also outstanding.
- xradionut 14y agoI rank him in my top tier of writers along with John Barnes.
- tjic 14y agoExcellent call-out on Barnes; he's one of the most under-rated authors out there. If you haven't read his stuff, pick it up.
- pavel_lishin 14y agoI think the only novel of his I read was Finity, and that kind of turned me off.
- xradionut 14y agoNot all of his work is great, but the "Thousand Cultures" series and "Century Next Door" series are the great reads. Note: The dark anti-hero in "Kaleidoscope Century" is probably the reason he hasn't won many major awards. You can't write such a character and not piss off the various sci-fi author and fandom cliches.
- tjic 14y agoAgreed. Barnes can go dark - REALLY dark. The Directive 51 universe is really dark, but has a ton of great ideas and great writing.
- pavel_lishin 14y agoThank you, I'll check them out
- satori99 14y agoThis may of interest to anyone who is unfamiliar with his SciFi writing: http://www.vavatch.co.uk/books/banks/cultnote.htm http://www.vavatch.co.uk/books/banks/cultnote.htm Originally posted to rec.arts.sf.written on 10 Aug 1994.
- zerovox 14y agoHis site seems to be down. His statement can be found on his publishers website: http://www.littlebrown.co.uk/a-personal-statment-iain-banks.page http://www.littlebrown.co.uk/a-personal-statment-iain-banks....
- podperson 14y agoIain [M] Banks is the writer whose books I most look forward to reading. Fuck cancer.
- DanBC 14y agoA UK charity is taking this approach to fund raising. Compare these two adverts - "Not Alone", MacMillan Cancer Support (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLpS97XA5VA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLpS97XA5VA) "Cancer, We're Coming For You", Race for Life (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWJEmMDQXoA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWJEmMDQXoA) Yes, fuck cancer.
- lutze 14y agoI'm not sure if you understand what MacMillan is about, but you're comparing apples and oranges here. "Fuck Cancer" is all well and good... but MacMillan's work isn't about finding a cure, it's about easing suffering. They provide support and care to patients and their families, "Not Alone" sums them up pretty perfectly.
- DanBC 14y agoThis is sad news. He's an awesome author, and many people will miss his great writing. 'Wasp Factory' was an amazing book. He mentions his sore back. That's important! Most lower back pain is nothing serious, but rarely it's a sign of significant illness. He also mentions that he initially thought the pain was related to his work on a book. That's relevant for an industry where people tend to spend many hour sitting at a desk typing code. We talk about better ergonomics -nicer chairs, standing desks- but sometimes the wider health is missed.
- nicholassmith 14y agoHe's a titan of British literature, I've loved his work for a number of years. What a legacy to leave behind.
- dcminter 14y agoAs an English Brit I'd love to claim him for our own but, to be honest, I think "Scottish literature" is the only appropriate description. This is awful news. I've not been a big fan of his later SF works. But Feersum Endjinn and Espedair St are tremendous and who knows, maybe the later works will grown on me. I hope he lives to see his latest book on the shelves. (Edit: Not that I'm claiming he's not a Titan)
- nicholassmith 14y agoI'll agree with that actually, he's in favour of an independent Scotland as his dream of a socialist Britain is unlikely (from a Guardian article he wrote a while back).
- rookieljw 14y ago404
- stefantalpalaru 14y agoTerrible news. If you're not familiar with Iain's work you owe it to yourself to drop everything and start reading the Culture series[1] right now. [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_series http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_series
- john_i 14y agoI absolutely love the Culture series. Although it doesn't delve into the Culture universe proper, Use of Weapons is one of the best books I've read. Would highly recommend checking out this book. The two narrative flows and the conclusion at the end, wow, just wow. Definitely very sad news.
- crapshoot101 14y agoUse of Weapons is maybe the best (or at least top 5) sci-fi novel I've ever read. Amazing stuff - and a turn that genuinely changes the whole story.
- arc_of_descent 14y agoI just ordered the first three books. Will start off with Player of Games. Sad news indeed.
- engtech 14y agoread this before starting to books. It's a great intro to the Culture: http://nuwen.net/culture.html http://nuwen.net/culture.html
- adrianhoward 14y agoTerrible news. If you're not familiar with Iain's work you owe it to yourself to drop everything and start reading the Culture series[1] right now. In fact go give all of his books a try (hey - we're allowed to read non-SF here too aren't we ;-)
- arethuza 14y ago
- kitsune_ 14y agoMy uncle died from a brain tumor two weeks ago. This week my aunt will have one of her lungs removed because of lung cancer. Last year my friend's wife had to have both of her breasts removed. And now one of my favorite authors will probably die to this shit. What a vile disease.
- geuis 14y agoHe shouldn't just accept this. There has to be something to be tried. With his notoriety, the option to try some experimental new treatment should at least be considered.
- notimetorelax 14y agoI've seen my grand mother die from gallbladder cancer. Weeks leading to her death she was miserable, she didn't have a minute of rest. Since then I understand why some people choose to end it early instead of prolonging the suffering...
- hp50g 14y agoSpot on. There's no heroics in hanging it out. Sorry for your loss.
- radio4fan 14y agoNonsense. He knows it's terminal (it's spread all over the place), and if he chooses to live the rest of his life on his own terms and not enduring the significant side effects of chemo, then it's his choice and good luck to him. My grandmother refused chemo (cancer in bowel, liver, lymph nodes) and I think she made the right choice.
- stevoski 14y agoHe doesn't have a chance of lasting more than a few months, most of which will be painful and with rapidly decreasing functioning. With the type and severity of his cancer, an experimental new treatment will simply ensure that his last days are more painful than they need be.
- Sulfolobus 14y agoThis reminds me of an interesting article I read about Doctors being more likely to refuse cancer treatment - on the knowledge of trading quality of life for a shorter period rather than hanging on for longer. http://thehealthcareblog.com/blog/2012/08/06/how-doctors-die/ http://thehealthcareblog.com/blog/2012/08/06/how-doctors-die...
- abrookewood 14y agoI wish to god this news had arrived 2 days ago on April 1st :( Ian (M) Banks is amazing and will be sorely missed. I can't believe there won't be any more Culture novels.
- jvzr 14y agoFWIW, I've ordered the first three novels of the Culture series. I didn't know of Iain Banks until today and his terrible news. I just wish he'll live the most playful last months of his life with his soon-to-be wife. We cannot wish for anything less.
- venus 14y agoOh to be reading them again for the first time. I envy you. This is a lamentable loss indeed. It really grieves me that my shelf of Culture novels will likely never grow again. Fuck this fucking disease. It really makes me angry. The lives cut short, all those possibilities lost. We need to fix this bug and soon.
- VLM 14y agoDoes anyone know his financial situation, too many authors (two examples, RAW and PKD) seem to end up dying while having to eat dogfood if that, and unable to pay the rent and other bills. Not that its fun to die if you're rich, just that he shouldn't have to eat dogfood in addition to the stress of the disease. If he's in bad financial shape I could easily buy a couple more of his novels in kindle form (not that I need to buy them in yet another form, but if he needs some cash, well now's the time...)
- jvzr 14y agoI don't know of his situation either, but instead of buying a copy for yourself, it'd be even wiser to gift a copy to good friends or simply spread the word of his great work here and elsewhere.
- VLM 14y agoI guess what I'm getting at is if he can't pay the electric bill today, if I finally get around to reading his 5th culture novel in 2015 that's unfortunately going to be a bit too late to help him out. So he's better off if I buy a copy today even if I don't read it for awhile. On the other hand if he's very "comfortable" then there's little point in my accelerating my purchase. I'm enough of a fan to have read and liked some books but not enough of a fan to have crawled up into his financial life, for all I know he's the richest author in the UK. I just don't want him to have to eat canned dogfood like PKD supposedly had to.
- reasonattlm 14y agoAnother person that might be cryopreserved [1], but probably won't be, much like the 150,000 who passed in the last day or so [2]. Many sorts of terminal case can actually lead to better quality cryopreservation under present legal restrictions [3], in comparison to the drawn out and uncertain end of aging, precisely because they are more rapid and certain in time. (Or might be plastinated [4] in the alternate history thread in which people actually got up and started to do something about death in the late 1930s [5], when the chemical industry started to be up to the task of building a mass plastination concern). If you've made no preparations but still have $200,000 or so sitting around, then the certainty of oblivion is still your choice, even at the last minute. (Most people who are cryopreserved fund it through life insurance taken out decades earlier). No judgement on that choice is offered, as the right to vanish is a good right, just judgement on the fact that while other options do exist, they might be far more available for everyone and better thought of were the world just a little bit different. [1] http://www.fightaging.org/archives/2002/11/cryonics.php http://www.fightaging.org/archives/2002/11/cryonics.php [2] http://www.fightaging.org/archives/2002/12/death-is-an-outrage-1.php http://www.fightaging.org/archives/2002/12/death-is-an-outra... [3] http://www.fightaging.org/archives/2011/02/to-die-in-order-to-live-thoughts-on-cryonics-and-legal-hurdles.php http://www.fightaging.org/archives/2011/02/to-die-in-order-t... [4] http://www.fightaging.org/archives/2009/04/plastinate-everyone.php http://www.fightaging.org/archives/2009/04/plastinate-everyo... [5] http://www.fightaging.org/archives/2011/05/when-did-we-become-suicidal-negligent-barbarians.php http://www.fightaging.org/archives/2011/05/when-did-we-becom...
- Jach 14y agoIf the world was just a little bit different, this would be upvoted instead of downvoted. It'd be nice if someone could convince Iain to be cryopreserved, and give him that small but non-zero chance of being revived and one day seeing a civilization better than his Culture.
- swombat 14y agoI would donate money to a "Cryo-freeze Iain Banks" fund - though I'm sure he has more than enough funds himself.
- modernerd 14y agohttp://friends.banksophilia.com http://friends.banksophilia.com for a personal statement and guestbook.
- viraptor 14y agoIt was a great surprise for me to see him at the book signing event a couple of months ago in Bristol. Not a deep and mysterious person I imagined him to be after reading the books - just a great, happy guy who shared some thoughts about his imagination. He could really make the whole room laugh.
- zbyszek 14y agoI met him on a couple of occasions many years ago and he really is great company. And he got a round in.
- venus 14y agoThis is horrible news. We are all poorer today, all of us. Banks is an inspiration to all who read him - of what could be, what can be, what is to be. Cancer has claimed a terrible toll in my life. Three in my immediate family and counting, the countdown very fast for one of them. And now it seems to have turned its unwelcome gaze to my intellectual treasures. I hate this disease, I despise it so much it's hard to express. I'd say it's my hatred of cancer that drives me to want to achieve riches, via a startup, so I can pour money into its vanquishing. It was hatred that made me agree to be a member of "the 300", as useless as that has turned out to be. And it's the knowledge and memory of those lifeless bodies on hospital sheets, cold before their time, that forces me onwards, reminds me that that capricious finger of death could swivel my way at any time. Banks, you are a titan. You inspired me, you inspired others. You'll never be forgotten, and god willing maybe you'll inspire a few to take revenge on your blind, callous killer.
- hyperbovine 14y agoMore money is not what is needed here--we already pour tons of money into cancer research. What's needed are new ideas. If you really want to fight cancer, skip the startup and go to graduate school. Computational and mathematical approaches to understanding and fighting cancer are still in their infancy. There is a lot of scope for smart, motivated people to do good.
- engtech 14y agoNo, more money is needed. 41% of deaths are due to cancer. It really is one of the biggest problems we have as a species and we should spend more effort on it rather than the things we do spend effort on. But I wholeheartedly agree that rather than trying to be a billg and earn money to fund philanthropy, the world needs more researchers.
- jseliger 14y ago> No, more money is needed. 41% of deaths are due to cancer. It really is one of the biggest problems we have as a species and we should spend more effort on it rather than the things we do spend effort on. The first sentence and the next two aren't at all related. It's possible that the amount of money we're collectively spending right now is all that can be used effectively, and more money will yield at best highly diminishing returns.
- Wintamute 14y agoThere isn't nearly enough wantonly optimistic sci-fi about. Banks does it so well. This is sad. His vision of the Culture reminds us what we're all struggling for.
- nemof 14y agoSeems like the site is down, for privacy or some other reason. Here's a statement from Banks: http://www.orbitbooks.net/2013/04/03/a-personal-statement-from-iain-banks/ http://www.orbitbooks.net/2013/04/03/a-personal-statement-fr...
- arethuza 14y agoAccording to Ian Rankin: "Typical of Iain to propose marriage to his partner Adele with the words 'Will you do me the honour of becoming my widow?" Makes me want to laugh and cry at the same time, like so much of his work.
- jschulenklopper 14y agoNot only from Ian Rankin, as it was also in the original statement: "I've asked my partner Adele if she will do me the honour of becoming my widow." That last past is almost a six word story, but sadly reality instead of fiction.
- stffndtz 14y ago404 :/
- chris_wot 14y agoThis seems to have been pulled, because I'm getting a page not found...
- chris_wot 14y agoAh! It's back. No need to downvote me on this, I wasn't on the attack. Try hitting "reply" to say that's not the case. I merely wanted to see what was happening!
- roy_s 14y agoIs anyone else also getting a 404...
- jeffheard 14y agoTwo of my favorite authors now... Three if you count that some people consider K.J. Parker to be a pseudonym of Iain (M) Banks. My two favorites of his I think will always be Use of Weapons and Look to Windward. Coincidentally, I just started re-reading Excession last night.
- Suitov 14y agoKJ? A pseudonym of Iain? I reckon she'd be highly amused at that... "For example, I don't much enjoy reading Iain M. Banks, simply because his world-view and mine don't coincide much; but I’ve learned an enormous amount from his masterful use of structure and language." -- KJ Parker (http://www.orbitbooks.net/interview/k-j-parker/ http://www.orbitbooks.net/interview/k-j-parker/)
- IvyMike 14y agoI think it's unlikely, too. But Iain Banks criticizing and then praising his own work under a pseudonym is something he would think was very funny.
- locopati 14y agoThis news puts his last two novels, Surface Detail and Hydrogen Sonata, in an interesting light, the former being about virtual hells and the latter being about a species transcending[1]. [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sublimed http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sublimed
- aardvark179 14y agoThose aren't his last two books, those would be Stonemouth and the Hydrogen Sonata. I'm not sure what meaning you can draw from that unless you know of a sexual indiscretion that Iain committed at a wedding. :-)
- locopati 14y agoI should have been more specific in the original comment...'his last two Culture books'.
- melling 14y agoVery sad, of course. He's only 59. I've gotta admit that I'm also a bit angry. The war on cancer is 40 years old and we are still so far away from solving the problem(s). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_on_Cancer http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_on_Cancer The first commercial microprocessor was released in the same year: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intel_4004 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intel_4004 Solutions? Ideas? The list in my mind is starting to get painfully long: Randy Pausch (47), Steve Jobs (56), Ian M Banks ...
- gargoiler 14y agoWe'll likely all die from overcrowding problems in the end anyway... Solve all the diseases you want, but we'll all die at some point.
- SkyMarshal 14y agoThat assumes we'll never colonize other planes/satellites/space stations and expand beyond earth.
- richardjordan 14y agoSadly I think we squandered that chance. We had one cubic mile of oil. We're half way through it. The rest is being burnt off at record rates. This was a one time energy bounty. We're mining ores with tiny percentages of what we want in them nowadays and at increasing energy cost. We had a bounty of natural resources that we could have focused to get off this planet and become an interplanetary species. I suspect we will never get there as we've squandered these resources and overpopulated the planet beyond carrying capacity. If you're waiting for a miracle solution, or believe alternatives will solve everything I recommend you study the principles of energy return on energy investment. It makes me sad but I think we will never colonize other planets.
- philwelch 14y agoThere's no such thing as an interplanetary species, barring some startling developments in physics. At the timescales it takes to travel to other solar systems, populations of colonists would be separated enough to speciate, especially given the radical differences in environment and the genetic drift of the early colony ships anyway.
- lifeisstillgood 14y agoThis is sad news, and there is really nothing to add to his own words. I just want to highlight two things, firstly his support for the NHS, which despite every newspaper and politician gunning for it still usually manages to deliver top quality care. Secondly, can we leave off the cryogenic stuff ? The guy is dying, and pretending it will just be a pause is insulting all round. This was a touching and accepting note written by a skilled hand - and he is not blathering on about the next life. Please leave it be
- arethuza 14y agoOn the subject of Scottish authors and the UK welfare state - my opinion of JK Rowling went up quite a bit when I learned of her attitude towards paying taxes (and I'm sure Iain would approve): http://timidheathen.tumblr.com/post/7043004518/jk-rowling-on-paying-taxes http://timidheathen.tumblr.com/post/7043004518/jk-rowling-on...
- alxndr 14y agoShe talked about that on Colbert a little while back.
- ebrenes 14y agoI couldn't find any interviews with Rowling on the Colbert Report, but I did find this for The Daily Show: http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/mon-october-15-2012/j-k--rowling http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/mon-october-15-2012/j-k--r... Was that the episode you were referring to?
- alxndr 14y agoAh, that's the one.
- tjic 14y ago> I just want to highlight two things, firstly his support for the NHS Which is meaningless; an anecdotal impression is not data. > Secondly, can we leave off the cryogenic stuff ? The guy is dying, and pretending it will just be a pause is insulting all round. Some people think that cryogenics is a better chance of resurrection than burying a body in dirt. The case isn't settled, but it's not a stupid or crazy belief. Even if the chance is only 0.1%, it's worth talking about. The chance of my house burning down is only 0.1% or so, and I still buy fire insurance. (And, no, I'm not a big believer in cryogenics; I merely want to argue that discussion about it is reasonable.)
- deleted 14y ago[deleted]
- khafra 14y agoI would; death sucks. At the very least, people should always be able to choose to live for another day.
- deleted 14y ago[deleted]
- khafra 14y agoIf I'd been around 12,000 years ago to invest a few bucks, and it grew at a 2% APY since then, I would currently have enough money to end poverty and global warming, while mining the asteroid belt to build an Orion-class starship in orbit. Why are you in favor of poverty and global warming, and against asteroid mining and starships? There's so much more you can do while you're alive than you can do while you're dead; and attempting to extend your time alive does not preclude enjoying it.
- deleted 14y ago[deleted]
- adventured 14y agoI applaud the fact that that's all you responded to, given the parent said it'd be stupid to cure polio and better to let poor people die to reduce overcrowding.
- hp50g 14y agoUltimately I think people are more annoyed that they don't get to choose to hang on as long as they'd like. Sure its a bummer, but for gods sake be grateful for any time you do get.
- kposehn 14y agoIt isn't that they die - it is that they die before they can realize many of their dreams, before they can change the world in the way they have been working towards, before they're done. We hate cancer because it takes from us those who wish to give so much without consideration. An indiscriminate killer that wastes our treasures away before our eyes, leaving us with only memories, partially realized dreams and the rage of "why now, when there was so much more good to be done?!"
- ritonlajoie 14y agoI'm actually just starting reading a book from him. The first I'm reading from him. That's sad.
- LatvjuAvs 14y agoPeople still struggling to accept life. Man grow out of this world, created awesome books, then he changed to something else. World as it is, is because he is.
- sort3d 14y agoWhat can we as a community do for him?
- Mc_Big_G 14y agoIs there really no preventative tests we can take periodically to discover these things before they get out of control? I have the feeling that future generations are going to ask WTF we were thinking.
- bzudo 14y agoI agree. I go to the dentist twice a year to check for cavities. I can only guess the costs for the tests are too expensive. Still couldn't insurance cover the tests?
- engtech 14y agoThe only great change I can think of is getting cheaper MRIs. The problem with MRIs is that there are so many false positives, but maybe regular scanning would help reduce that noise? It is thought that most people fight cancer 5-6 times in their life before anything is ever detected.
- adrianhoward 14y agoAt the point you can spot cancers in MRI scans it's often too late.
- akrasia 14y agoLittle known fact - most MRI machines are always on because they are made via a superconducting magnet, I know some residents who climb into them at night and scan themselves for educational purposes.
- adrianhoward 14y agoI can only guess the costs for the tests are too expensive. Still couldn't insurance cover the tests? The short answer is that the tests don't exist. Cancer is still a hard problem that's a mess of environment and genetic factors. The tests that do exist (e.g. the PSA test for prostrate cancer) often have limited utility. If you want to fix that help do basic research, or fund basic research. It's not a conspiracy. It's just a really, really hard problem.
- engtech 14y agoI'm very sorry to hear this. The first Banks book I read was in a palliative care room while my mom was dying of cancer.
- apcherry 14y agoSad news indeed. In keeping with his macabre sense of humour I hope he has a suitable Culture Ship names for the coffin. Dwindling Gravitas (VFP)?
- soapdog 14y agoI have all his SF novels. I think he is the most original and refreshing author I've seen in the past decade. I always looked forward for those thrilling weeks after he released a new book. It was one of the best parts of a year for me. Mr Banks inspired me to dream about the future and what wonderful culture we could become. Even though I never met him, I will really miss him for I cherished his writings and opinions. One thing I won't do is forget him because his work is the kind that ressurects genres and is timeless.
- richardjordan 14y agoLet's raise a toast to the launching of the GCU Fuck Cancer.
- arethuza 14y agoAnd its sister ship the ROU Fuck Cancer Quickly
- IvyMike 14y agoMy introduction to Banks was Robert Keogh's Culture Shock website, originally hosted at my university. There's still stuff there I haven't seen anywhere else. http://www.enthea.org/phlebas/ http://www.enthea.org/phlebas/ Note that this site seems to have last been updated in the mid 90's, so later novels are not included.
- jostmey 14y agoDeath from Cancer is a tragedy. If you are a computer hacker you have only two options to help. (1) Donate money to help cover medical expenses, which would surely bankrupt all but the very wealthiest in society. (2) Work within the framework of proven scientific results to help push science forward. As a computer guru, perhaps the best way to do this is to help develop programming packages such as R, Octave, and Julia. Otherwise, pick up biology books/manuscripts and just start reading for the next several years.
- crapshoot101 14y agoThat blows. Banks is my favorite sci-fi author on the planet - Use of Weapons blows my mind everytime I read it.
- jacquesm 14y agoThat is very bad news in a large number of ways. What a pity!
- CoffeeDregs 14y agoVery sad news indeed. Just introduced the works of Iain M. Banks to a friend, so something happy does come from sad news. Also, if you're a fan of the Culture universe and want a smile, have a gander at a list of Culture ship names @ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_spacecraft_in_the_Culture_series http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_spacecraft_in_the_Cultu... "Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The" "Hand Me The Gun And Ask Me Again" "Lapsed Pacifist" "Subtle Shift In Emphasis" I read science fiction to wonder at new ideas, concepts and their effects. But the Culture sounds like an incredible place to live. It's incredible that Banks could invent, create and hold the entirety of the Culture in his head.
- nooneelse 14y agoWe live in a pretty cynical time. One part of that is in our stories. We often take the quick path to "interesting" ideas by tearing apart good things. Utopia can't be, write about a dystopia instead. It is easier that way. This rut is comfortable. It gets the author out of the hard task of building something that fits together well, and out of having to dream up something that works and that they would genuinely like to live in. Thinking up terrible things and things that fall apart can be much easier than thinking up what would make us lastingly happy. It also lets the listeners/readers/viewers of the story not think about their world in relation to some better world. That can be depressing; looking into a warm, comfy restaurant can just highlight how cold, poor, and hungry you are. Comparing our lives to those poor schmucks in some "utopia" with an terrible dark side isn't so bad; it doesn't impugn us for not having made something truly good to live in a reality. But I'm so glad that Banks didn't go that route. Sci-fi needs to be able to get out of that rut. And it isn't that he doesn't know dark topics or how to write them; he can wrench a reader's guts along with the best of 'em. Yet he did the harder thing of looking for a consistent, shining-happy civilization to dream of living in. Gene Roddenberry got no small fame for a popular but rather more shoddy try at that many decades back. Banks did it with top notch sci-fi and writing skill. And I'd love to live in his utopia too. But the books themselves, not the Culture, also include plenty of gut wrenching. Not as some easy dark side to the Culture itself. But at the edges of it, where the friction happens from its interaction with less nice places to live.
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- rdl 14y agoThis is really sad news. One of my favorite authors, and seems like a great guy. Fuck cancer -- we really need to fix this, fast :( I feel selfish for being sad that his last book is an Iain Banks book vs. Iain M. Banks (culture). :(
- guy2221 14y agoThis is tragic and heart-breaking. Please be strong and live every minute to the fullest. But I do have one constructive comment perhaps someone can get to this author. >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. As great as it will feel - I think this is a disgusting thing to do to a woman and this author should reconsider. [EDIT: Let me rephrase this to: I think they both should reconsider. I think this is something that Adele will regret, regardless of whether she knows this now, for the reasons I cite below. I say this with some experience.] What are the two possibilities? That this short marriage and honeymoon will be sad and awkard - or that it will be blissful and happy? Both of those are terrible, horrible for her to live with for the rest of her life. [Edit: again, something she might not realize now.] Giving someone a few months of happiness before widowing them is something I wouldn't wish on anyone. Even the middle possibility (if the short marriage and honeymoon is neither blissful nor very sad and awkward, but just is) would then simply give someone Widow status. I think this author should call this particular plan off. There are a lot of great ways to enjoy life and do the most you can. Please make the best of them all.
- egypturnash 14y agoI'm a woman. And I say, if Adele wants to end her time with Iain this way, let her. Wikipedia says they've been "together since 2006". In her position, I'd rather remember six years with a wild last year or so of doing all those crazy things that got put off than six years with a last year of just sitting there watching the man I love die. Also it is quite possible that Adele would pretty much consider herself a widow for a good while whether or not she married Iain. I mean, really. I don't think this is a thing being "done to her". I don't know anything about her, but if she's <em>anything</em> like the kinds of women Iain writes about, she's perfectly capable of making her own decisions, and is quite aware of what she's gotten herself into. And is, as you urge in your second sentence, trying to be strong and live life to the fullest.
- epicureanideal 14y agoALCOR. Sign up. At least it's a chance. http://www.alcor.org/ http://www.alcor.org/ Also, I would research if anything ever happened with this: http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2012/03/one-drug-to-shrink-all-tumors.html http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2012/03/one-drug-to-sh...