Scottish science fiction author Iain M. Banks has died at the age of 59, just two months after he revealed he’d been diagnosed  with terminal cancer.

Known for his science fiction novels, many of which are set in the utopian Culture universe, Banks also wrote mainstream thrillers and novels, dropping the middle M from his full name. Novels like The Wasp Factory—his controversial debut in 1984—and The Crow Road, which was adapted for BBC TV in 1996, brought him a dedicated fan base beyond the world of science fiction fandom.

Following a bout of illness earlier this year, Banks was diagnosed with inoperable terminal gall bladder cancer. He announced in April that he’d be lucky to live more than a further year and that The Quarry (published this month) would be his final novel. The Hydrogen Sonata was his most recent science fiction novel.

Banks married his partner Adele Hartley at Inverlochy Castle Hotel shortly after his diagnosis, exhibiting his pitch black humour by inviting her to become ‘his widow…’

In a statement, his publisher Little, Brown said Banks was ‘an irreplaceable part of the literary world… [Iain is] one of the country’s best-loved novelists… Iain Banks’ ability to combine the most fertile of imaginations with his own highly distinctive brand of gothic humour made him unique.’

Banks lived long enough to see the outpouring of good wishes from readers and fans that were posted at his web site. The publication of The Quarry was brought forward so the author would see it on shelves, and he received author copies of the book just three weeks ago. ‘Still knocked out by the love and the depth of feeling coming from so many people; thank you, all of you,’ he wrote on the Banksophilia web site.