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.

The Balance Bike Quad Eliminator being run (and organised) by GT Bicycles at the Malverns Classic, Start Line, Eastnor Deer Park, Eastnor, in Herefordshire on Friday 26th August 2022. Youngsters enjoy the thrills & spills of balance bike riding as they partake in the annual event held in rural Herefordshire. The thrills and spills as rider No. 013, Kelia Ranes tries hard to avoid a fallen competitor. (Photo by Richard Stanton/The Times)

Young gymnasts practice pull-up on a bar at a gymnasium of a sports school in Jiaxing, Zhejiang province April 11, 2015. (Photo by William Hong/Reuters)

A shop assistant creates a window display in a Next store in central London December 30, 2014. British clothing retailer Next's sales rose 2.9 percent in the run up to Christmas mostly due to online and catalogue purchases, hitting the upper end of its predictions and it said full-year profit would rise by about 11.5 percent. (Photo by Neil Hall/Reuters)

A rickshaw puller transports passengers through a water-logged street after heavy rain in Kolkata, India on June 26, 2018. (Photo by Rupak De Chowdhuri/Reuters)

Evangelia Platanioti of Greece competes in the Solo Technical Routine at the Glasgow 2018 European Synchronised Swimming Championships, Glasgow, Britain, 06 August 2018. (Photo by Neil Hall/EPA/EFE)

Air France airplane from Air France-KLM Group arriving at Princess Juliana International Airport, Sint Maarten, Dutch Carebbean Island on February 12, 2023, taken from Sunset Beach Bar at Maho Beach, Sint Maarten, known for the beach being very close to the runway. (Photo by Rex Features/Shutterstock)