A common complaint is uttered, and we must heed it. "Fantasy worlds don't advance enough over the years," people say. What I wonder is what are these worlds, and how would we know?
Few series span enough time to see much change. Few settings are exploited by multiple series. Midkemia sees a few generations, but that's uncommon. Should we expect rapid technological progress over the year or two most stories span? I don't think we should.
Our knowledge of the past in most settings comes from its own history and legends. Now imagine somebody during the Thirty Years' War reading a history of the Year of the Four Emperors, a millennium and a half earlier. What would tell him the technology of his own year was different? The lack of windmills? Why would the author mention windmills? This guy raised an army and fought that guy. What technological advancement would our hypothetical reader see in that? Just the same way, the ancient legend about the hero defeating the demon god wouldn't say a thing about irrigation techniques or dye fixing.
Some suppose an unrealistic lack of technological advancement to be common in fantasy, but I disagree. The real problem with fantasy is not enough tough priests and clumsy maids.
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