London Mayor Boris Johnson takes part in a tug of war with members of the armed services to launch the London Poppy Day, outside City Hall, in London, October 27, 2015. London Poppy Day is a street collection event to raise money for serving and retired members of the armed services and their families. (Photo by Stefan Wermuth/Reuters)

A girl walks along former railway tracks in the so- called “Tunnel of Love”, surrounded by arches of intertwined trees, near the Ukrainian village of Klevan, Rivno region, on August 6, 2018. The tunnel of about five kilometres in length is a botanical phenomenon, which became a cult place for tourists and couples in love. The tourist legend says that wishes of couples in love will come true, if the couple passes through the tunnel. (Photo by Sergei Supinsky/AFP Photo)

Malena, 7, looks at Belgian clown Lili Bellule at the pediatric department of the Hopital Erasme at the Universite Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), in Brussels January 27, 2015. The hospital offers performances by musicians and clowns as a form of therapy to help children cope with dealing with the stress and fear caused by hospitalization. (Photo by Yves Herman/Reuters)

Kenny Wallace, driver of the #09 Family Farmers Toyota, spins into Justin Allgaier, driver of the #31 Brandt Chevrolet, who is lifted into the air by Reed Sorenson, driver of the #52 Means Racing Chevrolet, as Michael Annett, driver of the #43 Pilot Flying J. Ford, tries to avoid the wreckage during the NASCAR Nationwide Series DRIVE4COPD 300 at Daytona International Speedway on February 25, 2012 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by John Harrelson/Getty Images for NASCAR)

How awkward! Michelle Rodriguez (35) got very visibly drunk and sloppily kissed model Cara Delevigne (21) at the January 7 New York Knicks game, in what has to be the greatest public waste of court side seats of all time. Photo: Detroit Pistons vs. New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden, January 7, 2014. Actress Michelle Rodriguez and model Cara Delevingne sitting in the front row during the 4th quarter. The two were hugging and touching each other and Rodriguez appeared to be very intoxicated. (Photo by Anthony J. Causi/Charles Wenzelberg/The New York Post)

William Gibson is not one of the authors that spits out novels like a machine – in his long and fruitful career he has only published 11 novels andof short stories and articles in the tens each. Still his impact on modern literature was huge – the “noir prophet” of the cyberpunk subgenre (that he was one of the pioneers of) has predicted the rise of reality television, virtual reality, video games and the internet. He is a Hugo and Nebula award winning science fiction writer, with a special eye for what the future might bring.

A chicken seller carries his chickens on his head in the market in Peshawar, Pakistan, August 20, 2015. (Photo by Khuram Parvez/Reuters)

Samba dancers outside Woolwich station celebrate the opening of the Elizabeth Line in London, England on May 23, 2022. Originally due to open in December 2018, the £18.8bn railway links Reading and Essex via central London. (Photo by Jill Mead/The Guardian)