Description
Book SynopsisWINNER OF THE 2016 WORLD FANTASY AWARD FOR BEST NOVEL
LONGLISTED FOR THE 2015 MAN BOOKER PRIZE
An Elle Book of the Year
An Independent Book of the Year
One to Watch Independent on Sunday
A Bookseller Best Debut of 2015
One to Watch 2015 Huffington Post
An Amazon Rising Star
''The Chimes is a remarkable debut. It''s inventive, beautifully written, and completely absorbing. I highly recommend it.'' Kevin Powers, author of The Yellow Birds
A mind-expanding literary debut composed of memory, music and imagination.
A boy stands on the roadside on his way to London, alone in the rain.
No memories, beyond what he can hold in his hands at any given moment.
No directions, as written words have long since been forbidden.
No parents - just a melody that tugs at him,
Trade Review
WINNER OF THE 2016 WORLD FANTASY AWARD FOR BEST NOVEL AND NOMINATED FOR THE 2015 MAN BOOKER PRIZE
To call The Chimes striking is I dare say to underplay what might be the most distinctive debut of the decade. * Tor.com *
SUPERB... intriguing, ambitious and strikingly written. * James Kidd, Independent on Sunday *
The Chimes is a remarkable debut. It's inventive, beautifully written, and completely absorbing. I highly recommend it. * Kevin Powers, author of THE YELLOW BIRDS *
A genuinely originalnovel that has all the tension of a well-told, gripping thriller, but which is elevated well above the ordinary by its shining, lyrical language. The author has created a believable, consistent and vivid world... * Clare Morrall *
Cleverly orchestrated and poignantly conveyed throughout. * Guardian *
The novel is hypnotic, melancholic and requires concentration, but it builds to an incredibly tense and emotionally satisfying climax that rewards all the effort. * Elle *
Smaill is a former musician with a book of poetry already to her name. The Chimes has strong echoes of both these influences as we're taken on a strange and lyrical journey through a dystopian England . . . The intrinsic links between music and memory suffuse this dreamy narrative . . . the idiosyncratic world [that] Smaill has lovingly created using melodic and musical syntax - her narrative style brimming with invention and nuance. * The Big Issue *
The pleasure lies in getting to grips with the rules of this eerie dystopia and the unusual vocabulary Smaill has minted to describe it. * Metro *
Atmospheric, intensely-imagined strangeness * Daily Mail *
Strangely compelling * Sainsbury’s Magazine *
A dazzling debut piece of fantasy that marries great writing with compelling narrative. And the world Smaill has invented, where memory has been replaced by music and people cling to objects that link them to their pasts, is brilliantly imagined.... a serious book with serious talent behind it. * New Zealand Herald *
Atmospheric, intensely-imagined strangeness * Daily Mail *
Magical, tender, thought provoking and stunningly imaginative. * Lindsay Hawdon, author of JAKOB'S COLOURS *
Dystopian fiction but not quite as we know it... Smaill's particular melodious inventiveness makes her story her own. * Independent *
Anna Smail's ambition fiction debut is a strange, compelling tale; full of musical metaphors and striking imagery, it is wildly imaginative and challenging. * Choice Magazine *
An exciting debut, a book full of rhythm, energy and melody... There's no doubt Smaill has created a distinctive and impressive debut, one that dares to create its own music. * The List *
An enthralling read. * The Lady *
lyrical debut * Sunday Express *
This is a story that rivets us from the beginning but, for those wanting more, there are delicious depths that change an excellent story into an equally excellent thought provoking fable. As if that isn't enough, it also convinces us that Anna is a very clever lady. ... hugely compelling ... Oh yes, this is definitely a 'Wow!' book. * The Bookbag *
For a story about music, The Chimes is a triumph on the printed page.
* SFX Magazine *
Cleverly orchestrated * Guardian *
Entrancingly poetic and engagingly plotted, this is a story that brims with heart and soul. * Kirkus reviews *
Cleverly orchestrated * Guardian *
