A woman walks past a stall at a market in Banjul, Gambia December 15, 2016. (Photo by Afolabi Sotunde/Reuters)

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.

Women walk in heavy rain as Typhoon Haishen hits Kagoshima, Kagoshima prefecture on September 6, 2020. Typhoon Haishen began to lash southern Japan on September 6, with officials warning it could bring record rainfall and winds strong enough to snap power line poles and flip cars. (Photo by Charly Triballeau/AFP Photo)

A cat stretches on top of dried seafood in a shop in the Sheung Wan district of Hong Kong on August 7, 2020. International Cat Day, celebrated on August 8, is a day to raise awareness for cats and learn about ways to help and protect them. (Photo by Isaac Lawrence/AFP Photo)

A pro-democracy protester wears a hat in the shape of a yellow rubber duck, which has become a recent symbol for the ongoing protests, during an anti-government rally in Bangkok on November 22, 2020. (Photo by Lillian Suwanrumpha/AFP Photo)

A protester is taken away by law enforcement officers during a rally held by opposition supporters on the parliamentary election day in Almaty, Kazakhstan on January 10, 2021. Dozens of activists were detained in at least three major cities, including the capital, Nur-Sultan, and Almaty, with reports of independent observers being denied access or detained at some polling stations. (Photo by Petr Trotsenko/Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)

A protester in an Elmo mask dances during the Justice for George Floyd Philadelphia Protest on Saturday, May 30, 2020. Demonstrators took to the streets across the United States to protest the death of Floyd, a black man who was killed in police custody in Minneapolis on May 25. (Photo by Matt Rourke/AP Photo)

A reveller falls over into the road in Newcastle, Britain, July 4, 2020 on the day pubs and restaurants were finally allowed to reopen. (Photo by North News and Pictures)