Books like The Lies Of Locke Lamora
30 fantasy books to read after The Lies Of Locke Lamora, by Lynch, Scott, the closest match first.
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1. The Gentleman Bastards
by Lynch, Scott
- Same series
- Same author
This starts off decidedly on a non-epic note: a band of thieves go about robbing the rich to...live lavishly and just because they can. There is not great evil to...
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2. The Gentleman Bastards
by Lynch, Scott
- Same series
- Same author
One of the best fantasy series in the genre. Clever, sharply written, with some seriously awesome characters, this is a series that you MUST read. The first book was awesome,...
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Gentleman Bastards book 4
3. The Thorn Of Emberlain
by Lynch, Scott
- Same series
- Same author
Six months after the events of The Republic of Thieves, Locke Lamora and Jean Tannen are trying to get back on their feet with a big con: they plan to...
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Gentleman Bastards book 5
4. The Ministry Of Necessity
by Lynch, Scott
- Same series
- Same author
Why does the Lord appoint apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers to the church? Ephesians 4:12 says they are bestowed for the perfecting of the saints, the work of the...
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Gentleman Bastards book 6
5. The Mage And The Master Spy
by Lynch, Scott
- Same series
- Same author
Kathryne Kennedy's newest installment in a beloved series sparkles with sorcery and seduction Sir Gareth Solimere, knight of King Arthur's Round Table, has been trapped inside Merlin's relic for centuries,...
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Gentleman Bastards book 5
6. The Ministry Of Necessity
by Lynch, Scott
- Same series
- Same author
An Unabridged Edition to include: Prayer and Faith - Prayer and Trust - Prayer and Desire - Prayer and Fervency - Prayer and Importunity - Prayer and Character and Conduct...
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7. Broken Empire / Red Queens War
by Lawrence, Mark
- On the same lists
The first in The Broken Empire series, this gritty and violent novel focuses on a single character, who is an anti-hero, with a very dark past.
Mark Lawrence doesn’t use an abundance of technical explanations and diagrams, but that doesn’t make his magic system any less interesting. In fact, it lets him focus on his astonishing...
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8. Gentleman Bastards
by Lynch, Scott
- Same author
British narrator Michael Page has won a slew of awards with good reason: he's one of the best narrators in the business. and he brings all his formidable skill to...
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The Acts Of Caine book 1 Start here
9. Heroes Die
by Stover, Matthew Woodring
- On the same lists
A novel about two worlds that blends Science Fiction and Fantasy. An action packed adventure filled with real danger, sorcery, and a complex social system.
The Acts of Caine series takes adventure fantasy and drags it sixteen miles through the mud, and then tortures what's left. In a dystopian future, humanity has discovered a way...
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10. Inherit The Night
by Lynch, Scott
- Same author
Critically acclaimed as one of Shakespeare's most complex and intriguing plays, "Twelfth Night" is a classic romantic comedy of mistaken identities. This book explores the factors that make up the...
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First Law World book 1 Start here
11. The Blade Itself
by Abercrombie, Joe
- On the same lists
Abercrombie's work has become synonymous with the growing sub-genre of grimdark fantasy Naturally there's a lot of crossover between grimdark fantasy (which subverts the tropes of traditional heroic fantasy) and...
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A Land Fit For Heroes book 1 Start here
12. The Steel Remains
by Morgan, Richard K.
- On the same lists
An incredibly dark and gritty epic fantasy that embodies the reaction to shiny fantasy stories. It subverts most traditional fantasy tropes.
This book is a thoroughly grimdark adventure, following a world-weary PTSD sufferer on his quest to save the world he doesn't much care for. It's messy, gross, intense, brooding and...
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13. The Coldfire Trilogy
by Friedman, C.s.
- On the same lists
Influenced by Isaac Asimov, the magical force in these novels is derived from natural forces and governed by consistent rules, a force that humans must learn to control.
There are few things harder to control than emotion and this makes magic in The Cold Firetrilogy immensely difficult. The planet Erna is controlled by a force known as the...
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14. The Barrow
by Smylie, Mark
- On the same lists
The Barrow was a 2014 release of pure, unadulterated grimdark with a cast of antiheroes. Vicious, action-packed, brutal with more bad language throne in than Eminem song. And did I...
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15. Herald Of The Storm
by Ford, Richard
- On the same lists
A new author who pays some serious tribute to Abercrombie with his style of grimdark. Do read if you like depressing, action ridden fantasy with a cast of troubled heroes....
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The Chronicles Of The Black Company book 1 Start here
16. The Black Company
by Cook, Glen
- On the same lists
An elite mercenary unit is the focus of this series. It is a mix of fantasy, gritty realism, and military fiction. It is often cited as an inspiration for the Grimdark sub-genre.
In an era when fantasy was about honorable farm boys with magic swords and a noble destiny, Glen Cook said 'fuck that mess; let's have some amoral pricks doing bad...
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17. Malazan Book Of The Fallen
by Erikson, Steven
- On the same lists
A grand and epic series with a huge cast of characters with epic battles, sieges, mages, and carnage.
Steven Eriksen has been both lauded and criticized for his extreme detail, and that extends to his magic system. In Malazan, magic comes from warrens, a realm from which mages...
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Grim Company book 1 Start here
18. The Grim Company
by Scull, Luke
- On the same lists
With 'grim' in the title, it's not hard to guess that this book is clearly camped in the grimdark sub-genre, and it hits all the right beats for gritty, amoral...
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Night Angel book 1 Start here
19. The Way Of Shadows
by Weeks, Brent
- On the same lists
With magically enhanced assassins, intrigue, and a conflicted protagonist, this trilogy is epic and personal.
The Night Angel trilogy is the story of a young, abused street-thief's transformation into a badass, magically-enhanced assassin. As one might expect from a story about learning to kill people...
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Mistborn book 1 Start here
20. Mistborn
by Sanderson, Brandon
- On the same lists
Though Sanderson's main criticism is a lack of character depth, it's hard to deny the satisfying coming of age stories in Mistborn. The novel describes a classic rags-to-riches story, Vin...
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Low Town book 1 Start here
21. Low Town
by Polansky, Daniel
- On the same lists
Low Town (titled the Straight-Razor Cure in the UK), is the first instalment in the Low Town series, and is a noir detective mystery transplanted to a fantasy setting. The...
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The Chronicles Of Thomas Covenant The Unbeliever book 1 Start here
22. Lord Foul's Bane
by Donaldson, Stephen R.
- On the same lists
Epic Fantasy that's also very High Fantasy. Features an antihero hero.
Lord Foul's Bane begins the epic Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever, a series in which a leprosy-stricken man in the real world is transported to a stereotypical fantasy world....
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The Prince Of Nothing book 1 Start here
23. The Darkness That Comes Before
by Bakker, R. Scott
- On the same lists
This book and the Prince of Nothing trilogy, as well as the other books that follow, are so dark that you'll need a shower after reading them. And therapy. This...
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A Song Of Ice And Fire book 1 Start here
24. A Game Of Thrones
by Martin, George R. R.
- On the same lists
While Martin's epic contains a lot of brutality towards women, it also shows how women, surviving in a man's world, can use their cunning, charm, and looks to run the...
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25. The Kingkiller Chronicles
by Rothfuss, Patrick
- On the same lists
A world that is vast, fantastical, and strongly rooted in logical world-building—it is a trilogy and biography of a famous musician and adventurer.
If you haven't heard of The Kingkiller Chronicles by now, you'll want to pick it up as soon as possible. Rothfuss' award-winning series took the genre by storm in 2007...
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Elric book 1 Start here
26. Elric Of Melnibone
by Moorcock, Michael
- On the same lists
The first of the Elric Saga, this novel is signficant because the protagonist is a magic user and a bit frail—not quite the typical Sword and Sorcery hero.
Elric is the prince of a dying race, a pale, morose champion of right, despite the cards stacked against him. He's a physical weakling who needs to take drugs and...
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Watch book 1 Start here
27. Night Watch
by Lukyanenko, Sergei
- On the same lists
The unusual Moscow setting of Night Watch is echoed by its magic system. Lukyanenko’s contemporary world is inhabited by both humans and ‘Others’, supernatural beings who can attune to Dark...
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Under Heaven book 1 Start here
28. Under Heaven
by Kay, Guy Gavriel
- On the same lists
An alternate ancient china told with the majesty of one of fantasy's best wordsmiths.
On paper, this is the perfect setup for a grand fantasy novel: Guy Gavriel Kay (Tigana, The Fionavar Tapestry, Lions of Al-Rassan) applies his considerable literary talent to crafting an...
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Raven's Shadow book 1 Start here
29. Blood Song
by Ryan, Anthony
- On the same lists
One of the best fantasy novels in recent times, Blood Song also happens to have many school-like elements. Left as a child at the gates of the Sixth Order, Vaelin...
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30. Legend
by Gemmell, David
- On the same lists
Drawing heavily on the culture of the ancient Norsemen, Gemmell takes familiar archetypes and crafts them into a well-told tale of sacrifice and dying well. Druss and his once-possessed axe...
Matches come from series and authors, from the lists the books share, and from the books readers open together. They are rebuilt every night. Back to The Lies Of Locke Lamora.
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