“They’ve been obsessing me for years. I searched and found them in Benares, on the banks of the river Gange (India). They arrive here to get rid of everything and to wait for death. This existence can last for years, sometimes decades, almost a life. Opposite to mine, well organised and filled as a human life can be, to try in vain to push the limits of its end”. – Denis Rouvre. (Photo by Denis Rouvre)

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.

Central Palo Seco power station of the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) is seen behind a cemetery, in San Juan, Puerto Rico on January 22, 2018. (Photo by Alvin Baez/Reuters)

A helicopter flies in front of the Wolf Moon as it rises over London, England on January 20, 2019. The Wolf Moon, the Full Moon on January 20-21, 2019, is a Supermoon, making it look bigger and brighter than usual during the total lunar eclipse. (Photo by Dinendra Haria/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

Tourists in traditional costumes visit a rose garden during a rose cultural festival on April 27, 2021 in Huzhou, Zhejiang Province of China. (Photo by VCG/VCG via Getty Images)

People wearing mushroom hats stand in front of the Washington Monument in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 14, 2021. (Photo by Andrew Kelly/Reuters)

Women wearing traditional dresses dance next to Cathedral–Mosque of Cordoba, Andalusia, Spain, 26 May 2021, to celebrate the Cordoba Fair that was suspended due to coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic for a second consecutive year. The Cordoba Fair is held every year in May for a week during which flamenco, food, and wine are the main attractions for thousands of people. (Photo by Salas/EPA/EFE)

A vintage car sits in flood water on March 20, 2019 in Hamburg, Iowa. Although flood water in the town has started to recede many homes and businesses remain surrounded by water. Several Midwest states are battling some of the worst flooding they have experienced in decades as rain and snow melt from the recent “bomb cyclone” has inundated rivers and streams. At least three deaths have been linked to the flooding. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)