Cyberpunk pioneer Tom Maddox dead. He was among the authors of the cult series The X-Files

US writer Tom Maddox, a science fiction author best known for his role in the first cyberpunk movement, has died at the age of 77 from complications of a stroke.

The announcement of the disappearance, which took place on October 18, was published today on the website of the American science fiction and fantasy magazine Locus without, however, indicating the place of death. Daniel Thomas Maddox, this is the full name, was a teacher of English literature in various universities and began to devote himself to science fiction fiction in the 1980s. He has established himself with the story Snake Eyes appeared in the collection Mirrorshades 1986 edited by Bruce Sterling (Mirrorshades. The anthology of science fiction CyberpunkBompiani, 1994; MirrorshadesUrania Mondadori, 2003): the protagonist is a fighter pilot who accepts a brain graft in order to drive vehicles and weapons in the best possible way.

Maddox published his first novel in 1991, Halo (in Italian it appeared in 1997 by Phoenix Enterprise) and is considered one of the best examples of the first cyberpunk: at the center of the postmodern science fiction story the Halo City space station which is kept alive by Aleph, a gigantic computer, who loses his Creator. Later the writer devoted himself mainly to the story. Texts by him have appeared in two other anthologies released in Italy: Spirit of the night in The Cyber ​​universe (North Publishing, 2002) e In a distant landscape in Electric hearts. The essential anthology of cyberpunk (Einaudi Tascabili, 1996). Maddox is also the author of episodes of the tv series X-Files with William Gibson, who was the first to make the sad announcement on Twitter: