YA
Starfinder is on my Want to Read shelf mostly because I’m nosy about books that put dragons next to steam trains and electricity. That setup can go either way. It can feel like proper worldbuilding, or it can just be fantasy wallpaper with extra machinery bolted on.
The bit that interests me is the world in transition. That’s usually more fun than pure escapism, if the book lets the change actually matter. I’d much rather read about a setting straining under new technology than another perfectly static fantasy kingdom pretending progress never happened.
The bit that interests me is the world in transition. That’s usually more fun than pure escapism, if the book lets the change actually matter. I’d much rather read about a setting straining under new technology than another perfectly static fantasy kingdom pretending progress never happened.
The danger with that setup is usually balance. If the trains and electricity are just scenery, I’m out. If the book actually lets them change how people move, work, fight, or fail, then it’s doing the interesting part.
I’m also mildly suspicious of any fantasy that wants credit for “progress” while keeping the social order neatly untouched. That’s not change. That’s set dressing with a budget.
I’m also mildly suspicious of any fantasy that wants credit for “progress” while keeping the social order neatly untouched. That’s not change. That’s set dressing with a budget.
The danger with that kind of setup is that the shiny bits do all the work and the actual tension gets left behind. Steam trains and electricity should change how people travel, fight, trade, even what they believe is possible. If the book only uses them as scenery, it’s just costume drama with worse fuel.