There exists no finer pleasure in all of literature than watching a band of clever rogues attempt the impossible. We speak, of course, of the fantasy heist—that magnificent collision of cunning schemes, magical mischief, and audacious thievery that makes one’s heart race with vicarious delight.
We have ventured through countless pages of such adventures and emerged, pockets metaphorically lighter but spirits considerably enriched, to present you with our most treasured recommendations.
The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch
What marvellous fortune befalls readers who discover Locke Lamora, that orphan-turned-master-thief whose tongue proves sharper than any blade. In the Venice-inspired city of Camorr, Lynch has constructed a world where con artists operate beneath the very noses of mafia-like gangs, and where the finest thieves call themselves Gentleman Bastards.
The story weaves between young Locke’s apprenticeship and his adult exploits as he leads increasingly dangerous schemes. What begins as elaborate cons against the nobility spirals into something far more perilous. Lynch’s prose balances darkness and wit with remarkable dexterity, creating characters whose loyalty to one another forms the beating heart beneath all the scheming.
Mistborn: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson
Sanderson posed himself two questions when crafting this tale: What if the Dark Lord triumphed? And what if one assembled an Ocean’s Eleven-style crew in a fantasy realm? The result stands as the very standard by which all fantasy heists might be measured.
Kelsier, a scarred survivor of the empire’s most brutal prison, assembles a crew of Allomancers—those who gain supernatural abilities by consuming metals—for the most audacious job conceivable: toppling the immortal Lord Ruler himself. Into this conspiracy stumbles Vin, a street urchin who discovers she possesses extraordinary magical potential.
The Allomancy system allows characters to push against metal, enhance their senses, or manipulate emotions, creating heist sequences unlike any other in the genre.
Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
In the harbour city of Ketterdam, where anything can be purchased for the right price, criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker earns his fearsome reputation as “Dirtyhands.” When offered an impossible heist—infiltrating the Ice Court, an impenetrable military stronghold—Kaz assembles six outcasts, each carrying secrets and sorrows enough to fill volumes.
The crew includes Inej the Wraith, a spy who moves through shadows like smoke; Nina, a Heartrender whose powers manipulate the human body; and Matthias, a soldier imprisoned for crimes he did not commit. Bardugo crafts each character with such care that we find ourselves equally invested in their personal redemptions as in the heist itself.
The Palace Job by Patrick Weekes
Should one desire their fantasy heist served with a generous helping of levity, Weekes provides the most delightful concoction imaginable. Loch, a former warrior escaping from a prison that hangs beneath a floating city, seeks revenge against a powerful politician—and the priceless elven manuscript he stole from her family.
Her assembled crew defies all conventional wisdom: a repentant death priestess, a shapeshifting unicorn, a cynical illusionist, and—most wonderfully—a talking magical warhammer named Ghylspwr. The caper that follows reads like a stage comedy translated into prose, complete with mistaken identities, outrageous disguises, and schemes within schemes.
The Thousand Deaths of Ardor Benn by Tyler Whitesides
Ardor Benn styles himself a “Ruse Artist Extraordinaire,” and truly, his ambitions match his considerable ego. When a rogue priest hires him to steal the King’s Regalia—ceremonial clothing crafted from dragon egg shells—Ardor assembles a dream team of forgers, disguisers, and thieves for what quickly becomes a mission to save humanity itself.
The magic system here proves particularly inventive: different substances passed through dragons produce various types of “grit” with unique properties. Memory grit creates bubbles where all within forget what transpired; drift grit makes objects weightless. Whitesides deploys these magical elements in heist sequences of remarkable creativity.
The Spirit Thief by Rachel Aaron
For those seeking lighter fare with no shortage of charm, Eli Monpress awaits. This wizard-thief’s greatest ambition? Raising the bounty on his own head to one million gold coins. With ego enough to fill several kingdoms, Eli begins his campaign by stealing something no one will immediately miss—a king.
Aaron’s magic system delights: wizards negotiate with spirits inhabiting all objects, convincing doors to unlock themselves and walls to part. Accompanied by a swordsman wielding the most powerful blade in existence (though possessing no magic himself) and a woman who can punch through walls, Eli’s adventures sparkle with wit and inventiveness.
Among Thieves by M.J. Kuhn
In the five kingdoms of Thamorr, where magic users called Adepts live in forced servitude, Ryia Cautella has earned a fearsome reputation as the quickest blade in the dockside city of Carrowwick. But Ryia harbours a deadly secret—one that keeps her perpetually running from the Guildmaster, the mysterious sovereign who controls all five kingdoms through his network of enslaved Adepts.
When the chance arises to steal the Quill, an artifact of immense power, Ryia assembles a crew of rogues: a silver-tongued smuggler, a disgraced nobleman turned forger, and a card dealer with secrets of her own. The heist that follows will take them to the Guildmaster’s island during his most heavily guarded auction. With comparisons to Six of Crows and The Lies of Locke Lamora, this tale delivers precisely the crew dynamics and elaborate scheming that heist enthusiasts crave.
Foundryside by Robert Jackson Bennett
In the industrial city of Tevanne, where magic has been systematised and mass-produced through “scriving,” thief Sancia Grado steals a powerful artifact that proves unexpectedly conversational. The ornate key, calling himself Clef, can communicate with her mind and open any lock in existence—a fact that makes both Sancia and Clef extraordinarily valuable to extraordinarily dangerous people.
Bennett constructs what reviewers have called “essentially a cyberpunk novel trapped in epic fantasy clothing.” The scriving magic system, whereby sigils convince objects of altered realities, enables heist sequences of ingenious complexity. Sanderson himself praised this as “the exciting beginning of a promising new epic fantasy series.”
The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner
Eugenides, the queen’s thief, claims he can steal anything—boasting that lands him promptly in prison. When the king’s magus requires someone to steal an object of legend, Gen finds himself conscripted for a quest that will test his considerable skills and reveal depths few suspected.
Turner’s novels draw upon ancient Greek inspiration, weaving political machinations, divine intervention, and deception into a tapestry rich enough to reward multiple readings. This Newbery Honor winner has spawned a beloved series that fantasy readers whisper about in reverent tones, and Eugenides himself proves one of fiction’s most charismatic and incorrigible characters.
A Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faizal
On the streets of White Roaring, in the empire of Ettenia, Arthie Casimir runs the most notorious establishment in the city: a tearoom by day, an illegal bloodhouse catering to vampires by night. When powerful forces threaten her carefully built kingdom, Arthie must assemble a crew of outcasts to infiltrate the glittering vampire society known as the Athereum.
Faizal delivers a secondary-world fantasy dripping with atmosphere—part Peaky Blinders, part Ocean’s Eleven, with vampires and found family woven throughout. The heist at its heart requires Arthie and her mismatched companions to navigate treacherous alliances, buried secrets, and a conspiracy that threatens to upend everything they know. For readers who savour their capers with a side of dark romance and biting social commentary, this instant New York Times bestseller satisfies splendidly.
Master of One by Jaida Jones and Danielle Bennett
Rags has never met a pocket he could not pick, but when captured by a sorcerer with apocalyptic intentions, he discovers even his skills have limits. Forced to gather pieces of an ancient fae relic, Rags finds these “relics” are actually people—including a distractingly handsome Fae prince called Shining Talon.
With comparisons to Six of Crows and The Cruel Prince, this young adult debut offers dark fairy tale aesthetics alongside its heist plotting. The queer romance proves as compelling as the caper, and the sinister royal conspiracy keeps pages turning well past sensible bedtimes.
The Thief Who Pulled On Trouble’s Braids by Michael McClung
Winner of the inaugural Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off, The Thief Who Pulled On Trouble’s Braids follows Amra Thetys through the criminal underworld of Lucernis.
When a fellow thief entrusts her with a mysterious artifact before his murder, Amra finds herself hunted by an immortal assassin and a mad sorcerer—all while plotting her own schemes of revenge and survival. McClung’s sword-and-sorcery adventure delivers fast-paced action with a gloriously sardonic protagonist.
Which Crew Will You Join First?
We have presented you with thieves of remarkable variety—gentleman bastards and ruse artists, wizard-burglars and vampire-hunting rogues, fae-touched criminals and silver-tongued smugglers. Each offers its own particular flavour of larcenous delight, yet all share that essential quality which makes the heist genre so irresistible: the promise that cleverness and audacity might triumph where brute force would surely fail.
May your reading hours be long, your plot twists unexpected, and your fictional companions ever ingenious in their schemes.
