Dragons with Smartphones: Why Fantasy is Stuck in the Middle Ages (and How to Write It Differently)

The great hall doors swung open, and a procession of armed guards followed, heralding the entrance of Belrond, lord of the elven kingdom. Lord Belrond himself walked slowly at the center, flanked by the guards with his counselors behind him. He didn’t look up for a long time, but when the guards came to a stop, he closed his phone, slipped it into the pocket of his robes, and finally raised his eyes to meet the glaring faces before him.

Wait, what? Ha! Not what you’d expect to read in a classic fantasy novel, huh?

The same would hold true if I described how the elf king drove up in his car or binged on a series in his spare time.

For reasons most of us never bothered to question, most fantasy novels—especially high fantasy—are set in a vaguely medieval world, and we’ve come to accept this unwritten rule without thinking twice.

So what is it about the “good old days” that draws so many fantasy writers to this setting? Is it a yearning for simpler times? The possibility of stretching the quest to the goblin-forest because public transportation isn’t available? Or are we just doing it because that’s what we’ve been told fantasy is supposed to be?

Let’s dissect this biz.

Sacred Knowledge and Cheap Flights

One of the greatest gifts that technological development has bestowed on us is availability.

We can get almost anything we want while sitting on the porcelain throne with a phone in hand: travel, clothes, that Pilates hoop you saw on Instagram and never used. We can also learn anything instantly, without having to seek the village wise woman or a learned archmage.

But neither special items nor information were as easy to come by in old times. People had to travel for days or weeks to reach palaces and great cities, search dusty libraries for hidden knowledge, or quest for rumored magical items.

A tech-free setting like that gives writers a lot of maneuvering space. It’s a world where characters can’t just Google “how to destroy an evil magic ring,” then book a same-day flight to Mordor on AirEagle.

A Healthy Dose of Skepticism

Technology doesn’t just make things more accessible—it also makes people more skeptical.

Technology, and the access to data in particular, means that there are less and less things left unknown to humankind (or whichever humanoid species you’re writing about). There are still some mysteries left, sure, but less than there were during times when people had to wait until visitors, merchants and traveling performers would roll to their faraway village set between two rocks just to hear what’s happening in the world out there.

Technology enables research, and with research comes understanding, which leaves less room for imagination. When we know lightning is just electric discharge, it’s harder to believe in sky gods hurling spears of lightning when they’re pissed off.

But it all changes in the world of fantasy. Strip away Wikipedia, smartphones, and modern science, and suddenly there’s room for magic again. People can still believe in a stream that grants eternal life, an orb that shows past events, or a magical necklace guarded by a great dragon that lets you eat anything without gaining weight.

Where Dragons Make Sense

A modern setting implies a framework grounded in science and physical laws. Toss a dragon or two into the mix and sprinkle it with some magic, and you run the risk of breaking the believability of your story.

This doesn’t mean that you can’t add magical elements to a modern day fantasy, but you’ll have to work much harder at making sure your story has internal consistency and logic and works within the modern framework.

By contrast, setting your tale in the distant, goblin-infested past is easier. Science hasn’t had the chance to run mystery out of town yet by offering reasonable explanations to phenomena that might otherwise feel supernatural. The world is still full of unexplored lands, strange species, and mysterious events. In such a place dragons and sorcery feel possible—there’s nothing to disprove them.

Dragons with Smartphones

But does that mean fantasy must always stick to ancient times? Absolutely not.

You can (and should) set your book in a modern time and write about dragons with smartphones if it fits your narrative. You just need internal consistency.

Ask yourself: Can I explain the magic?

Readers will be happy to go along with the premise that strange creatures roam the sewers below the streets of New York (or Toronto’s PATH) late at night, but only as long as you explain why they’re there, how the magic works, and how come nobody noticed them.

A quick checklist can help:

1. How did the magical phenomena (creatures, artifacts, people with supernatural powers) end up in the modern world?

2. Where did the magic come from?

3. How does it work?

4. Do people know about it, and if so, how do they react?

5. Why is the magic visible/accessible only to certain individuals?

You don’t need to write a scientific textbook on it, but weaving these answers naturally into the story makes the magic believable.

Conclusion

An ancient setting can be a great place to unleash your fantasy story in: it’s free from scientific evidence ruling out fire-breathing lizards with a dubious wing to body ratio, and there’s no pesky technology to shortcut a months-long quest.

But just because it’s easier doesn’t mean fantasy has to live in the past.

You can absolutely set your story in a modern, realistic world—you’ll just need to ground your magic in explanations and internal logic.

Whether your elves wield swords or smartphones, the principle remains the same—if the magic makes sense, the reader will believe it. And if you’ve found this article helpful (or at least entertaining)—consider subscribing and let the tips come to you!