Date of Award
4-2026
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts - English
Department
English
First Advisor
Dr. Bridget Adams
Second Advisor
Dr. John McDermot
Third Advisor
Dr. Kevin West
Fourth Advisor
Dr. Anne Smith
Abstract
The Rule of Belief is a fiction creative writing thesis written in the epic fantasy genre. The narrative follows a mixed cast of characters, each with their own histories, traits, and goals. Set on the fictitious continent of Tal’Mordea, the holy city of Erenia is threatened by the Great Heretic, Novak, and his army. Lady Celestine of the Twelfth Order goes to prepare the city for the siege to come. However, she is forced into an alliance with Kvothe Blackblood, a charming vampire that challenges everything she knows of the species. Lady Celestine must put aside her hatred to uncover a plot that threatens to destroy everything she holds dear. Together, Celeste and Kvothe, with the help of the wizard Abernaught and Celeste’s half-brother, Martin, face horrors and corruption, praying that the gods will take pity on them before hell comes for Erenia.
This novel is meant to serve as a fresh addition to the genre as it includes the standard tropes of the fantasy genre; both modern and original. The setting is high fantasy, the characters fill specific tropes within the genre, such as wizard, holy person, and naive newcomer. In addition, the novel blends genres, allowing for elements of horror and suspense to have an underlying presence within the narrative. The vampire character demonstrates this well as vampires do not typically appear in high fantasy novels, less so as main characters. The tropes themselves have been changed and slightly altered to allow for people familiar with the genre's history to find an interesting surprise just as much as newcomers to fantasy.
Repository Citation
Smith, Evan S., "The Rule of Belief" (2026). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 691.
https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/etds/691
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
