A participant wearing Kokoshnik, the Russian traditional headwear, walks out of the water during winter swimming festival in the town of Podolsk, south of Moscow, Russia January 5, 2017. (Photo by Maxim Shemetov/Reuters)

Belgian priest Philippe Goosse (L) blesses Bloodhound dogs during a religious and blessing ceremony for animals, outside the Basilica of St Peter and Paul in Saint-Hubert, Belgium November 3, 2015. Hundreds of animals get blessed during the celebration of Saint Hubert, the patron saint of hunters who is also invoked for protection of dogs and horses, organisers said. (Photo by Yves Herman/Reuters)

A villa privately built on the rooftop of a residential building in downtown Beijing has prompted complaints from neighbours living below. Professor Zhang, the villa owner, has been instructed to tear down the illegal building, according to the property managers. (Photo by Mark Ralston/AFP Photo)

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.

Musician Fefe Dobson onstage at the 25th Annual Rock And Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at the Waldorf=Astoria on March 15, 2010 in New York City.

Pope Francis waves as he arrives at the Kangemi slums on the outskirts of Kenya's capital Nairobi, November 27, 2015. (Photo by Goran Tomasevic/Reuters)

Vitalii Sediuk (L) jumps on singer Justin Timberlake as he arrives to attend the Louis Vuitton Womenswear Spring/Summer 2020 show as part of Paris Fashion Week on October 01, 2019 in Paris, France. (Photo by David Fisher/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

The Shannara Chronicles - A Refreshing Adventure in a Post-Apocalyptic Fantasy Future

I was sitting idly on the couch, drinking cola and playing Red Flush online casino games while my better half was channel surfing besides me. I was completely immersed in my game, but dragged back with my feet on the ground when I heard a name - Terry Brooks - coming from the telly. And from MTV?!