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 Chinese designer Chen Wen at China Fashion Week in Beijing, China March 29, 2017. (Photo by Jason Lee/Reuters)

Sеxy brunet striptease dancer dancing lap dance in front of man. (Photo by Blue SkyImages/Getty Images)

An Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga female officer bites a snake while demonstrating skills during a graduation ceremony in the Kurdish town of Soran, about 100 kilometres northeast of the capital of Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region Arbil, on February 12, 2020. (Photo by Safin Hamed/AFP Photo)

Children residents take a selfie as they wait for the police to dance, an unconventional approach to connect the police with the community in rough neighbourhoods, as part of the “Tirando Barrio” (Marking territory) programme in Saltillo, Northern Mexico September 9, 2016. T-Shirt reads “Street Dancers”. (Photo by Daniel Becerril/Reuters)

People take part in a Halloween street party at Lan Kwai Fong on October 31, 2016 in Hong Kong. Halloween, a contraction of All Hallows' Evening, falls on the day before All Saints' Day on November 1, a holiday when Christians remember their deceased loved ones. (Photo by Lam Yik Fei/Getty Images)

Chinese women ride a bicycle together on a street September 10, 2014 in Beijing, China. (Photo by Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)

Hindu holy man, or sadhu, applies paint to his forehead at his ashram on the premises of Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu February 15, 2015. Hindu holy men from Nepal and India come to this temple to take part in the Maha Shivaratri festival. Celebrated by Hindu devotees all over the world, Shivaratri is dedicated to Lord Shiva, and holy men mark the occasion by praying, smoking marijuana or smearing their bodies with ashes. (Photo by Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters)