Devotees wear costumes made of banana leaves as they head to church to attend mass as part of a religious festival, in honor of St. John the Baptist, also known locally as the “mud people” festival, in Aliaga town, Nueva Ecija province, north of Manila, on June 24, 2017. Farmers coated in mud paraded in Philippine villages on June 24 to mark one of the Catholic nation's most colourful religious festivals. (Photo by Noel Celis/AFP Photo)

Sydney resident Virginia Maddock watches the supermoon rise off the Sydney beachside suburb of Wanda, August 10, 2014. Sunday’s moon was at its closest approach to Earth, appearing bigger and brighter than any other moon this year. The moon was 221,765 miles away and looked 16 percent larger and 30 percent brighter than usual. (Photo by Jason Reed/Reuters)

A woman stands in front of a mask-clad lion statue outside a department store in Tokyo's Ginza district on January 18, 2022, as Japan reported a record high of new Covid-19 infections fuelled by the Omicron variant. (Photo by Philip Fong/AFP Photo)

A participant takes photographs of his friend while climbing up the stairs during Sky Run, a vertical marathon event, held in the 123-story Lotte World Tower, in Seoul, South Korea on April 22, 2023. (Photo by Kim Soo-hyeon/Reuters)

An iguana rests on a man's head during a pet blessing ceremony a day after World Animal Day, at a mall in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines on October 5, 2025. (Photo by Noel Celis/Reuters)

A figurine depicting the bloody face of Donald Trump is seen in San Gregorio Armeno (the famous Neapolitan street of nativity scenes) following his attempted assassination in July 13 Pennsylvania rally, in Naples, Italy on July 16, 2024. (Photo by Stringer/Anadolu via Getty Images)

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 model presents a creation by Paradizia during Colombiamoda fashion event in Medellin, Colombia, July 29, 2015. (Photo by Fredy Builes/Reuters)