In June this year the world lost author Iain Banks to cancer just before his final book hit the stands. I felt an overwhelming sadness as I read peoples’ thoughts and feelings on his passing. Iain wrote wonderful novels for the sci-fi/fantasy world, but also fiction novels exploring politics and culture. He went so far as to separate his pure sci-fi works from his more accessible novels by using the name Iain M Banks for his sci-fi books.
I read the final interview ever conducted with Iain and in it he said that his new book was about a man with cancer (he started writing before he knew he also had cancer and was dying) and that although he was very proud of this book he would have liked to go out with a sprawling sci-fi/fantasy epic like Transition.
I read Transition some years back after having a chat to a work colleague and discovering the book on my desk the next day with a blue post-it note on it saying "You have to read this!"
The book was fantastic in so many ways and not so great in others and in tribute to Iain, the day after his death I picked it up for a re-read. It’s been hard to find the right words but I’ve tried my best. Follow me below the cut for a review of Transition; Iain Banks' beautifully crafted final sci-fi/fantasy epic.
