A Mirror for Monarchs (Xzillion Series Book 1)
Gilbert P. Hathaway IV
Reader Reviews
4.0
1 rating
Charlene M.
Apr 18, 2026
3.5 stars, rounded up.
So the pros:
This feels like, with a final round of good editing and sweeping through, the start of a good epic fantasy series. It has all the pieces: prophesy, horrible evil, young heroes, etc. It definitely has echoes of Tolkein in the writing patterns (which is a for better/for worse thing since for many readers, Tolkeinesque drags). Lots of tragedy and mysterious characters etc.
The cons:
This needs an Editor, like a full blown professional one. There were numerous errors ranging from simple spelling and grammer mistakes (hey we all make them) to the wrong word being used (eluding instead of alluding), and I think a good editor could have shaken out some of the more rambling bits and helped to make them a bit snappier (the first part of this book is extremely slow and reads more like a history book. I'm not opposed to this per se - i have a degree in history after all - but some readers may find it a slog.)
Also not sure about the names. The constant use of double Xx and X followed by other letters basically made name static in my head. Maybe a pronounciation guide?
Anyway, if you like Epic Fantasy with a flavor of Tolkein and you can look past errors, there is definitely a good story here.
So the pros:
This feels like, with a final round of good editing and sweeping through, the start of a good epic fantasy series. It has all the pieces: prophesy, horrible evil, young heroes, etc. It definitely has echoes of Tolkein in the writing patterns (which is a for better/for worse thing since for many readers, Tolkeinesque drags). Lots of tragedy and mysterious characters etc.
The cons:
This needs an Editor, like a full blown professional one. There were numerous errors ranging from simple spelling and grammer mistakes (hey we all make them) to the wrong word being used (eluding instead of alluding), and I think a good editor could have shaken out some of the more rambling bits and helped to make them a bit snappier (the first part of this book is extremely slow and reads more like a history book. I'm not opposed to this per se - i have a degree in history after all - but some readers may find it a slog.)
Also not sure about the names. The constant use of double Xx and X followed by other letters basically made name static in my head. Maybe a pronounciation guide?
Anyway, if you like Epic Fantasy with a flavor of Tolkein and you can look past errors, there is definitely a good story here.