There exists a particular sort of reader—perhaps you are one—who, having finished the final page of The Lies of Locke Lamora, finds themselves wandering about quite lost. The clever schemes, the witty banter, the brotherhood of rogues—where, oh where, might one discover such delights again?
Fear not, dear reader, for we have gathered here a most wonderful collection of tales. Each possesses that certain something that made Scott Lynch’s masterwork so terribly difficult to put down.
Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
In the crooked streets of Ketterdam—a city that would make even the cleverest Gentleman Bastard feel quite at home—there dwells a young criminal mastermind called Kaz Brekker. He wears black gloves and carries a crow’s head cane, and oh, the schemes he devises would make your heart race most thrillingly.
Kaz assembles a band of six remarkable misfits: a wraith-like spy, a sharpshooter with a gambling problem, a Heartrender who can manipulate the human body, a disgraced soldier, and a demolitions expert. Together they must break into an impenetrable fortress. The characters are wonderfully damaged, beautifully devoted to one another, and terribly, terribly clever.
Mistborn: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson
Picture, if you will, a world where ash falls from the sky like grey snow, and an immortal tyrant has ruled for a thousand years. Now picture a crew of thieves planning to rob him of everything—including his empire.
Kelsier, the Survivor of Hathsin, leads this merry band of Allomancers (folk who gain magical powers by swallowing metals, which is really quite extraordinary). Young Vin, a street urchin who discovers she possesses remarkable gifts, joins this impossible heist. The magic system is ingeniously crafted, the characters leap from the page, and the caper itself unfolds with delicious complexity.
The Riyria Revelations by Michael J. Sullivan
Here we meet Royce Melborn and Hadrian Blackwater—a thief and a swordsman who operate as partners in crime under the name Riyria. One is dark and cynical, the other cheerfully optimistic. Their friendship is rather like finding a warm fire on a cold night.
When a simple job to steal a sword goes spectacularly wrong, our heroes find themselves accused of murdering a king. What follows is a grand adventure filled with conspiracies, ancient secrets, and the sort of bickering between friends that suggests they care for each other rather more than they would ever admit. Begin with Theft of Swords and prepare to fall quite hopelessly in love.
Foundryside by Robert Jackson Bennett
In the city of Tevanne, magic has been industrialized through a practice called scriving—essentially convincing objects that reality is different than it actually is. It sounds mad, and it rather is, but in the most wonderful way.
Sancia Grado is a thief with a secret: experiments performed upon her have given her the ability to sense the nature of any object she touches. When she steals a talking key that can open any lock, she becomes entangled in plots that threaten the very foundations of her world. The heists are intricate, the magic system is brilliantly original, and Sancia herself is exactly the sort of clever, resourceful protagonist you have been seeking.
The Legend of Eli Monpress by Rachel Aaron
Eli Monpress is determined to have the largest bounty on his head in all the world. To achieve this noble goal, he steals increasingly outrageous things—beginning, rather ambitiously, with a king.
In Aaron’s delightful world, every object possesses a spirit, and wizards must politely negotiate with doors, stones, and swords to use their magic. The result is wonderfully humorous, with high-stakes heists interrupted by stubborn furniture. Eli is charming, confident, and thoroughly entertaining. The first three books are collected in a single volume, which means triple the mischief.
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
Kvothe is many things: musician, magician, hero, legend. He is also, when circumstances require, a rather accomplished trickster who must rely upon his considerable wits to survive.
This tale follows young Kvothe from his childhood among traveling performers, through terrible tragedy, to his years as a student at the University where magic is taught. Like Locke Lamora, Kvothe possesses a silver tongue and a talent for getting into—and out of—impossible situations. The prose is beautiful, the story captivating, and once you begin, you shall not wish to stop.
The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie
Should you desire something with a bit more bite, allow me to introduce you to Logen Ninefingers, Sand dan Glokta, and Jezal dan Luthar—three vastly different men whose paths are destined to intertwine most dramatically.
Logen is a barbarian trying to escape his violent past. Glokta is a torturer who was once a dashing war hero before imprisonment left him broken in body but wickedly sharp in mind. The world Abercrombie has created is dark and unforgiving, the humor is gallows-black, and the characters are so vividly realized they shall haunt you long after the final page.
The Thousand Deaths of Ardor Benn by Tyler Whitesides
Ardor Benn calls himself a “Ruse Artist Extraordinaire,” which is a terribly fancy way of saying he is a confidence man of remarkable talent. When a priest hires him for an impossible job, Ard assembles a crew and embarks upon a series of heists that escalate from stealing a crown to, well, saving civilization itself.
The magic system involves dragon excrement (I assure you this is more elegant than it sounds), and the heists are gloriously elaborate. One critic described it as “Mission: Impossible with magic and dragons,” which captures the spirit of the thing rather perfectly.
Assassin’s Apprentice by Robin Hobb
FitzChivalry Farseer is a royal bastard trained in the art of assassination—not thievery, precisely, but the skills of secrecy, observation, and clever manipulation that any Gentleman Bastard would recognize.
Young Fitz navigates treacherous court politics while developing two forms of magic and learning to survive in a world where his very existence threatens powerful people. Robin Hobb writes characters with such emotional depth that you shall feel as though you have known them all your life. This is the beginning of a vast, interconnected saga that rewards patient readers most generously.
The Queen’s Thief Series by Megan Whalen Turner
Gen claims he can steal anything. When this boast lands him in prison, a royal magus offers him freedom in exchange for stealing a legendary object.
What follows, across six remarkable books, is a tale of political intrigue, divine intervention, and the cleverest thief you are likely to encounter anywhere in fiction. Gen is not merely talented—he is several moves ahead of everyone, including, delightfully, the reader. The world draws upon ancient Greek mythology, and each book reveals new depths to characters you thought you understood. Turner’s plotting is absolutely fiendish.
Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
Now here is something rather different: lesbian necromancers in space, which is exactly as wonderful as it sounds.
Gideon Nav is a swordswoman with a sharp blade and sharper wit. Her nemesis Harrowhark is a bone witch who requires Gideon’s services as a bodyguard. Together they must compete against other necromancer-and-cavalier pairs in trials that prove deadly in every sense. The humor is contemporary and delicious, the world-building utterly original, and the characters are impossible not to adore despite—or perhaps because of—their many flaws.
The Crown Tower by Michael J. Sullivan
This prequel to the Riyria Revelations tells the tale of how our beloved Royce and Hadrian first met. An old wizard hires them separately for the same impossible job: steal a treasure from a tower that has never been breached.
The thief doesn’t trust the warrior. The warrior cannot understand the thief. Their partnership is forged through adversity and tested by betrayal. If you have already read the Revelations, this book is a delightful return to beloved friends. If you have not, it serves as a splendid introduction to Sullivan’s wonderfully entertaining world.
And so, dear reader, you now possess a treasure map of sorts—twelve paths to adventure, each promising the clever schemes, memorable rogues, and thrilling escapades that made you fall in love with Locke Lamora in the first place. Choose one, or choose them all. The night is young, and there are heists to be planned.
