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)

Children exercise before a wrestling practice session at an old Basque ball game gymnasium in downtown Havana, October 30, 2014. (Photo by Alexandre Meneghini/Reuters)

Residents look on as flames burn through bush on January 04, 2020 in Lake Tabourie, Australia. A state of emergency has been declared across NSW with dangerous fire conditions forecast for Saturday, as more than 140 bushfires continue to burn. There have been eight confirmed deaths in NSW since Monday 30 December. 1365 homes have been lost, while 3.6 million hectares have been burnt this fire season. (Photo by Brett Hemmings/Getty Images)

Revellers shield themselves as they celebrate in the rain near Stonehenge stone circle, despite official Summer Solstice celebrations being cancelled due to the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), near Amesbury, Britain, June 21, 2020. (Photo by Toby Melville/Reuters)

Costumed participants of a lacquer and leather ship, the so-called “Torture Ship”, kiss before putting out to Lake Constance for a pleasure cruise at the harbor of Friedrichshafen, Germany, 29 June 2019. Hundreds of leather and rubber fans set sail for the boat trip through the night on Lake Constance. (Photo by Daniel Kopatsch/EPA/EFE)

Staff members lead robot dogs during the 2025 AI Intelligent Robot Exhibition at Nanjing International Expo Centre on February 16, 2025 in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province of China. (Photo by Yang Bo/China News Service/VCG via Getty Images)