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 general view of atmosphere during 2016 New York Comic Con – Day 1 on October 6, 2016 in New York City. The annual event offers pop culture fans exhibitors and displays of popular video games, movies and comic books and many people attending dress as their favorite character. (Photo by Daniel Zuchnik/Getty Images)

Police detain a demonstrator during an action against Russia's attack on Ukraine in St. Petersburg, Russia, Wednesday, March 2, 2022. Protests against the Russian invasion of Ukraine resumed on Wednesday, with people taking to the streets of Moscow and St. Petersburg and other Russian towns despite mass arrests. (Photo by Dmitri Lovetsky/AP Photo)

A health worker gives a polio vaccine to a girl on a street in Lahore, Pakistan, Monday, June 27, 2022. Pakistan launched a new anti-polio drive on Monday, with the goal to vaccinate a million children across Pakistan. (Photo by K.M. Chaudary/AP Photo)

Drag Queens Art Simone and Etcetera Etcetera pose on Oxford Street on November 19, 2021 in Sydney, Australia. Art Simone and Etcetera Etcetera have announced their new regional national tour “As Seen On TV” which will see the drag queens perform around Australia in 2022. (Photo by Don Arnold/WireImage)

Children wearing cardboard lion dance masks walk along a street in Beijing on January 13, 2023. China has announced its first overall population decline in recent years amid an aging society and plunging birthrate. (Photo by Mark Schiefelbein/AP Photo)

A man passes at the displayed art installation “Middle way” by Romanian artist Bogdan Rata in Kiev, Ukraine, Tuesday, November 20, 2018. The monument set on the central Kiev street of Khreshchatyk, at the place of Vladimir Lenin monument which was destroyed in 2013 during the Maidan events. (Photo by Efrem Lukatsky/AP Photo)