The Chimes
#6593.37 of 664 ranked universes · full ranking
Books 1 book Status Complete 2015 Reading commitment Low Anna Smaill Last reviewed 2026-08-18
Overview
In a future London where written language has been outlawed and memory itself decays, a young man arrives with a strange object and a half-remembered mission, navigating a world where music has replaced words as the way people hold onto the past. A standalone novel. Anna Smaill's first universe in this canon.
Dark fantasy, Epic fantasy · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (1 work) counts toward ranking
The Chimes Anna Smaill
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | The Chimes | 2015 | 1 | core | 3.37 (3,111 ratings) |
Standalone novel; a dystopian secondary world where written language is banned and memory is instead carried through music. Anna Smaill's first universe in this canon; her only other novel, Bird Life (2023), is an unrelated, separate standalone work.
Quick answers
- How many books are in The Chimes? The Chimes's Core Canon is 1 book.
- Is The Chimes finished? Complete (2015).
- How much reading does The Chimes take? Low reading commitment (estimated from 1 Core Canon book · ~291 pages).
- How is The Chimes ranked? #659 of 664 ranked universes on this site, based on 3,111 reader ratings across 1 Core Canon book. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #659?
Ranked #659 of 664 ranked universes.
- Average reader rating of 3.37 across 1 core book.
- A smaller readership (3,111 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- 0.02 behind #658, Ironskin.
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
- A single standalone novel: ranked on that one book alone.
Why explore this universe?
Modestly rated · 1 book · Complete · 3k ratings · Ranks #659 overall
Good choice if you want a quick, low-commitment dark fantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
A single Core Canon work: no sequencing question to resolve.
Awards (verified)
- World Fantasy Award (Best Novel), 2016: won: The Chimes
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Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 3.37 across 3,111 ratings on 1 Core Canon book. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: The Chimes admitted accepted 2026-08-18
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
Last reviewed: 2026-08-18
Rule: Core = the single standalone novel; the author's other novel is a confirmed unrelated work.