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.

In this photo taken on August 29, 2024, an Afghan burqa-clad woman walks past an energy drink advertisement at Kandahar airport in Kandahar. The Taliban government has purged many signs of Western influence but a stimulant drink craze that arrived with US soldiers remains, and has even sprouted a thriving domestic industry. Alcohol is outlawed in Afghanistan but caffeine-rich energy drinks are guzzled by secret police, fed by mothers to suckling children and advertised on billboards more than even Taliban state propaganda. (Photo by Wakil Kohsar/AFP Photo)

Horse archery competitor Kimberley Robertson with her horse Chiko at her home in Hirstglen, Queensland, Australia on April 9, 2024. (Photo by Aston Brown/The Guardian)

Ballet dancer and performer Ashlee Montague of New York wears a gas mask while she dances in Times Square as the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak continued in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., March 18, 2020. (Photo by Andrew Kelly/Reuters)

Yu Jietao, 26-year-old wood carver, sits in his homemade wooden car along a street in Guangfeng county of Shangrao, Jiangxi province, China February 9, 2015. The car can travel as fast as 30 km (18.6 miles) per hour, local media reported. (Photo by Reuters/Stringer)

A Buddhist monk wearing a protective mask walks around the Sewu temple during the celebrations of Vesak Day, marking the birth, enlightenment and death of Buddha, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in Sleman, Yogyakarta, Indonesia, May 26, 2021. (Photo by Willy Kurniawan/Reuters)

Natalia Grossman of the USA competes during the women's finals of the IFSC Climbing World Cup Meiringen on April 09, 2022 in Meiringen, Switzerland. (Photo by Marco Kost/Getty Images)

A kite flying contest is held in Nantong, east China's Jiangsu featuring various kites of different shapes on December 20, 2017. (Photo by SIPA Asia/Pacific Press/Barcroft Images)