So flows the volcanic prose of University of Bristol student Ethan Doble (pen name E.J. Doble), in his debut novel The Fangs of War.
During the 551-page epic, the reader is swept away to a world brought to the brink of destruction by the execution of the King of Provenci.
Following an interweaving cast, Doble journeys through imperial lands and forgotten realms in a style reminiscent of his literary heroes JRR Tolkien, Christopher Paolini and Adrian Tchaikovsky.
The 20-year-old wrote most of the novel, the first in a series of five, during a gap year spent in his Midsomer Norton home, before joining Bristol as a History undergraduate last year.
“I think a lot of the way I write comes from the landscape where I grew up,” he explained. “It’s a very rural environment. I grew up going on long walks across the hills - sometimes it felt like I was going to Mordor to throw the rings in the fire myself.
“During a period of poor mental health I had stopped writing. One day I picked up a chapter I’d written in 2015 and without any planning or insight I just ran with it. Nine months later I had a story.”
But Doble’s drive to become an author started long before 2015. Aged seven he won a school writing competition and soon he was scrawling stories in most of his free time.
“I promised myself at seven that I’d become a writer by 20, it’s one of those things you say to yourself when you’re seven,” he said. “Technically I was three weeks late but it’s close enough.”
At 12 he wrote his first novel (“a rip off of The Hobbit, I was obsessed at the time”) and at 16 another in the same fantasy ilk.
Both remain unpublished; but they showed Doble he had the talent and drive to fulfil his childhood dream.
“My first book was going to be a series of 10,” he laughed. “I sent it to publishers and got lots of nice replies, which showed me writing really could be viable.”
The Fangs of War is the first work he is showing to the world.
After 20 encouraging but ultimately disappointing replies from publishers, Doble opted to self-publish: writing, editing, organising illustrators and promoting the book himself.
He has already sold 70 copies and around 30 reviewers are currently reading the book.
Doble is now working on the sequel, while also commuting into Bristol for lectures.
“I’m hoping the sequel will be out next year and the rest after that. I’ve got working titles for all of them,” he said.
And his advice for other budding writers?
“If you believe in it, do it, especially if someone close to you says you can. It’s easy to be put off but it is viable, particularly in the modern world.”