Iain Banks Image: Stuart Caie
In an announcement that caused his website to crash, author Iain [M] Banks yesterday shared the devastating news that he has late stage gall bladder cancer, and may only have months to live. Squeamish Louise and Gareth pay tribute to the work of an extraordinary writer...
The announcement was beautifully written - emotive, with a strand of dark humour. Of course it was. But it was impossible to read without an almost physical reaction of sadness. Banks has written 26 novels - 14 as Iain Banks and a further 12 as Iain M Banks. But when he dies we'll be losing more than just a prolific author.
The announcement was beautifully written - emotive, with a strand of dark humour. Of course it was. But it was impossible to read without an almost physical reaction of sadness. Banks has written 26 novels - 14 as Iain Banks and a further 12 as Iain M Banks. But when he dies we'll be losing more than just a prolific author.
The Iain M Banks novels include the Culture novels - books set in a near-utopian reality governed (although essentially anarchistic) by artificial intelligences and populated by a huge range of species, from the humanoid to the three legged warrior-monk race the Iridans.
The Culture has been a chance for Banks to explore everything from culture-clash to gender, ethics to the nature of the soul and intelligence. They feature some of the most interesting characters (female, male, gender neutral and other) of any series.
The idea that our door onto this universe will close shortly is almost unbearably sad; we can only be glad he opened it in the first place.
This isn't to dismiss his other fiction. The Wasp Factory is probably one of the most famous debut novels of recent times. Although it doesn't quite live up to the Irish Times' description of "a work of unparalleled depravity" (a description that better describes their lack of imagination) it is a surprisingly dark book, mainly as it causes you to sympathise with such an evil protagonist. In fact making you warm to, or even fall in love with a monstrous character or race is one of his greatest tricks - he manages to make the hideous sexual predator, willfully sadist Affronter race of tentacled aliens almost loveable in their wanton cruelty.
The Culture has been a chance for Banks to explore everything from culture-clash to gender, ethics to the nature of the soul and intelligence. They feature some of the most interesting characters (female, male, gender neutral and other) of any series.
The idea that our door onto this universe will close shortly is almost unbearably sad; we can only be glad he opened it in the first place.
This isn't to dismiss his other fiction. The Wasp Factory is probably one of the most famous debut novels of recent times. Although it doesn't quite live up to the Irish Times' description of "a work of unparalleled depravity" (a description that better describes their lack of imagination) it is a surprisingly dark book, mainly as it causes you to sympathise with such an evil protagonist. In fact making you warm to, or even fall in love with a monstrous character or race is one of his greatest tricks - he manages to make the hideous sexual predator, willfully sadist Affronter race of tentacled aliens almost loveable in their wanton cruelty.
| This was followed by the far superior (in my opinion) Walking On Glass. A tale up of three seemingly unconnected stories, all written in radically different writing styles (one the tale of a man looking for a woman he met at a party, another exploring the delusions of a paranoid road worker and the final a tale of 2 alien war criminals trapped in a fantastical castle) that somehow weave together into a spellbinding story. | He is facing an unpleasant illness with grace and humour. The least we can do is read his output... |
The Crow Road is also beautiful, a dour but hilarious study of a chapter in the life of a Scottish family. The women in Banks' fiction are perhaps less interesting than those in his sci-fi. The Steep Approach to Garbadale reads as essentially a slightly tweaked re-tread of The Crow Road. This led to jokes in our house when we bought Stonemouth - 'Oh, is the hero by any chance chasing a beautiful but complicatedly unavailable girl who is related to his family in some manner?' - But the joke was on us this time: yes, he was, but the plot was handled very differently and went to unexpected places. Banks' most recent novel showed he still has the ability to surprise, shock and delight.
His non sci-fi fiction - often, but not always set in Scotland, mixes big questions (faith, family, politics) with the everyday. Philosophical revelations might occur under the influence of drugs and then acted out at the local pub or harbour. Reading them is like sitting in your favourite pub listening to the most interesting person you've ever met tell you about the time their sister accidentally joined the CIA, spiked the whole town with LSD and had a torrid love affair at the same time.
There are too many wonderful stories to mention here. Espedair Street and The Player of Games stand out. But don't sit here reading us tell you - if you haven't read anything Banks has written we can only say this - do.
He is facing an unpleasant illness with grace and humour. The least we can do is read his output while he is still alive, and talk loudly about how much enjoyment he has brought to the world.
Squeamish Louise & Gareth
His non sci-fi fiction - often, but not always set in Scotland, mixes big questions (faith, family, politics) with the everyday. Philosophical revelations might occur under the influence of drugs and then acted out at the local pub or harbour. Reading them is like sitting in your favourite pub listening to the most interesting person you've ever met tell you about the time their sister accidentally joined the CIA, spiked the whole town with LSD and had a torrid love affair at the same time.
There are too many wonderful stories to mention here. Espedair Street and The Player of Games stand out. But don't sit here reading us tell you - if you haven't read anything Banks has written we can only say this - do.
He is facing an unpleasant illness with grace and humour. The least we can do is read his output while he is still alive, and talk loudly about how much enjoyment he has brought to the world.
Squeamish Louise & Gareth
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