Tough Travelling“Tough Traveling” is a weekly Thursday feature created by Nathan at Review Barn where participants make a new list each week based on The Tough Guide to Fantasyland by Diana Wynne Jones. This hilarious little book cheerfully pokes fun at the most prevalent tropes in fantasy. All are welcome to take part, and there is a link up over at his site. Join in any time!

This week’s trope is HEISTS/CONS

Smash and grabs are not always the best way to illicitly acquire objects in fantasy land. Sometimes these things take planning, a loyal crew, and a little bit of luck. But a good crew can always get the job done.

After making this list, I’ve come to the conclusion that I love a good heist novel. Who doesn’t love a good caper, right?

The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott LynchThe Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch

 

Even though I’m less than 100 pages into this one, I can already tell this one is going to have heists and cons. I mean, the very first chapter relates how Locke pulled off an unthinkably awesome con (what a freaking rascal) as a child. Very excited to see what other heists this one inevitably has in store for me!

 Fate's Edge by Ilona AndrewsFate’s Edge by Ilona Andrews

Once one of the best thieves in the Edge, Audrey left the life to go legit and be present for her family. So, of course, she ends up getting suckered into one last heist. Slippery slope, and all that. This is the quintessential UF heist novel: a wonderful motley crew, high stakes, and even higher tensions.
Sex Criminals Vol 1 by Matt FractionSex Criminals Vol. 1 by Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky 

The actual premise of this graphic novel is about heists. Well, that and time-stopping orgasms. Literally. Suzie and Jon both have a crazy ability: when they come, the world around them stops moving. What do two crazy kids do with such a whacked out ability? Why, rob banks of course!

A Fistful of Charms by Kim HarrisonA Fistful of Charms by Kim Harrison
When you think ‘criminal mastermind,’ you probably don’t think Rachel Morgan…and you’re not wrong! In this instalment, Rachel concocts one of her hare-brained schemes to steal a statue with supernatural properties called “the Focus.” The plan involves an alarming number of elements that can – and will – go wrong. Maybe a sub-trope for this week could be “failed heists or heists that go wrong.”