William Gibson

American-born, Canada-based author, considered the founding father of literary cyberpunk. With "Neuromancer" (1984) he introduced the term "cyberspace" before the internet existed in its modern form, imagining a global data network navigable as physical space, corporations more powerful than nation-states, and human bodies modified to interface directly with machines. His aesthetic — neon, acid rain, worn-out technology mixed with urban poverty — defined the visual vocabulary of an entire genre, from film (Blade Runner shares its imagery, though it predates the novel) to video games. He coined the famous observation "the future is already here, it's just not evenly distributed." High-risk file: his narrative predictions tend to materialize with more fidelity than a novel should be allowed, blurring the line between fiction and actual technological design.