Very sad news from author Iain Banks: The author of The Wasp Factory, the Culture series and many other books announced today that he has been diagnosed with terminal, inoperable cancer. Banks said on his blog that the cancer started in his gall bladder and has spread to his liver, pancreas and lymph nodes. Removal of the tumors is not an option, and while chemotherapy might extend his lifespan beyond the few months he’s expected to live, it’s unlikely that he’ll live more than a year.