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.

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)

In this handout photo released by Kooperativ Telegram Channel, flames and smoke rise from the scene after a warplane crashed into a residential area in Yeysk, Russia, Monday, October 17, 2022. The Russian military says one of its warplanes has crashed near an apartment building in Yeysk, a port city on the Sea of Azov, after experiencing engine failure on takeoff. The crash ignited a huge fire, killing at least four people, leaving six missing and injuring 21 others, eight of whom were in grave condition. One of the pilots, right, descends on a parachute. (Photo by Kooperativ Telegram Channel via AP Photo)

A local resident rescues a baby owl after Cyclone Mocha's crashed ashore, in Kyauktaw in Myanmar's Rakhine state on May 14, 2023. Cyclone Mocha crashed ashore in Myanmar and southeastern Bangladesh on May 14, 2023, uprooting trees, scattering flimsy homes in Rohingya displacement camps and bringing a storm surge into low-lying areas. (Photo by Jack Taylor/AFP Photo)

A cow decorated with charms, colorful ropes and beads is seen as the local cattle breeders who prepared sash, loincloth and their local clothes known as “bush vest” before coming to plateau, their animals in Trabzon, Turkiye on September 24, 2023. (Photo by Hakan Burak Altunoz/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

European bisons (also known as Wisent) at the Bison farm in Muczne, southeastern Poland, 30 December 2018. The Bison farm is a continuation of bison breeding in Bieszczady, which was started in 1963. Here visitors can admire the bison of Bialowieza-Caucasian line, also called the mountain race. The European Bison is the national animal of Poland. (Photo by Darek Delmanowicz/EPA/EFE)

A car is submerged in flood water at an apartment complex in the aftermath of Hurricane Milton, Thursday, October 10, 2024, in Clearwater, Fla. (Photo by Mike Stewart/AP Photo)

Hira Punjabi, from Maharashtra, India, took this stunning photo of a parakeet attacking a tree-climbing lizard, which has won the SINWP Bird Photographer of the Year 2024, in aid of RSPB. She had to wait by the same tree for four days to get the perfect action shot. (Photo by Hira Punjabi/SINWP via SWNS)