Goodbye Mr. Banks

It was a sad day yesterday when it was announced that Iain Banks had succumbed to the cancer that he publically announced that made him "Officially Very Poorly" back in April. It seemed that he might have made it possibly to the Edinburgh Book Festival where it was planned to celebrate his life and work but alas it was not to be. It might well happen not but with the author present.
I have read probably every book Iain wrote, the only exception that comes to mind is Canal Dreams, which to be fair is the one book that the author did not feel did his writing was his best. After his announcement in April I re-read possibly his best work as Iain Banks sans M a quite magnificent part allegorical tale and part Bildungsroman. It is, however his Culture novels writing as Iain M Banks that I find my attention being dragged back to reading again.
I have been entertained many times with his stories and readings at the Edinburgh book Festival and it was at one of these that I got my copy of Dead Air signed by himself. There are plenty of obits. and reviews of his works out there and I'm sure you can find out more on T'Internet if you so decide.
A lot of his loyal readers have marked his passing by raising a glass of the uisge-beatha and who am I to disagree. Cheers Iain and thanks for hours and hours of entertainment.