Is it just me, or does every fantasy setting of the past 20 years feature a militant order of religious fanatics? The Wheel of Time has the Children of the Light, Sword of Truth has the Blood of the Fold, Ice and Fire has the Sparrows, Iron Kingdoms has the Protectorate of Menoth, WOW has the Scarlet Crusade...
Why is this so common? Why did the Spanish Inquisition or Knights Templar become a fantasy trope? Are authors copying Robert Jordan, or is religious fanaticism just in the zeitgeist these days?
I feel like it's really getting old, but just how common is it? Is there a list somewhere of fantasy settings that do (or don't) use this trope? Can you name any that I missed?
This is a frequent theme in the work of Robert A Heinlein, and he was writing in the 1940s and after. I think religious domination is a common fear of a free society. Fantasy is one way of dealing with real fears, and militant religious fanaticism is a real threat today.
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