Very Sad News about Iain M. Banks, the Greatest SF Writer of Our Time (with comments by Liviu Suciu)

While I saw the news about Mr. Banks' terminal cancer on sffworld early in the morning, I could not find myself writing a little about it until now as I am of the strong belief that in such moments, words do not really help...

Anyway, I want just to note that since I have discovered his work in the early 90's, his sf books have always been huge asap's and for the several years since I started keeping records, Transition was my top sf, sff and #3 overall in 2009, Surface Detail was my top all around book (and so obviously top sf and sff) in 2010 and The Hydrogen Sonata was my top sf, #2 sff and #4 overall in 2012.

Also his works featured prominently in various editorial pieces done here about Best Opening Lines, Interesting Covers, Memorable Fictional Characters Ladies and Men...

I also rate the quartet: Use of Weapons, Consider Phlebas, Against a Dark Background (standalone non-Culture but with the strongest Banksian characters outside the previous 2) and The Player of Games as my top four sf books of all time, reading (from) them uncountably many times across the years, while on my list of all time favorites (where I use the rule "one author, one spot"), Use of Weapons at #7 is the highest ranked sff book.

For more, you can check the Guardian or USA Today pieces and of course the original announcement by Iain Banks himself.

Again words cannot convey how shocking and depressing this announcement has been...