History BlatantLies / Literature

** ''Literature/MonstrousRegiment''. Roughly every other spoken line (though one specific character [[ExactWords technically'' only lies about one thing...).

** ''Literature/MonstrousRegiment''. Roughly every other spoken line (though one specific character ''[[ExactWords technically]]'' only lies about one thing...).

** And then there's this little gem [[UnreliableNarrator from Harry's narration]] in ''Literature/GhostStory'':

* ''Literature/LeftBehind'': The Antichrist uses a lot of transparent lies. It only works since he has some ill-defined MindControl powers to back him up.

* Everything Shin-tsu of ''LightNovel/TheLongingOfShiinaRyo'' says is taken as this, even though he's telling the truth. It's not his fault the Universe made him its [[CosmicPlaything plaything]].

* ''Literature/TheMonsterAtTheEndOfThisBook'', in the ''Series/SesameStreet'' Golden Book children's literature series. The story is about Grover, who tries to convince the reader to not finish the book because there is a horrifying, evil monster lurking on the final page. A series of obstacles (e.g., tying the pages together with Army rope, brick walls, etc.) of course don't work. The trope comes at the end: the "scary" monster at the end of the book is merely Grover! ("Oh, I'm so embarrassed!" he says sheepishly.) One of the earliest and most successful ''Sesame Street'' books to date, a rewrite was commissioned in 1996, with Grover finding Elmo as the "horrifying monster" at the end of the updated version. (Although to some, Elmo would avert the trope, believing ''him'' to indeed be a scary monster.)

** The Dursleys claim Harry has gone to "St Brutus' Secure Centre for Incurably Criminal Boys" to their fellow Muggle neighbors to explain his long absences at Hogwarts. Aunt Marge approves, and asks whether they still use the cane. And Harry, needing the Dursleys' to sign a permission form, jumps in on the blatant lying to the point Marge offers that if he can talk so lightly about St. Brutus, then they're not beating him hard enough.

* ''[[Literature/JohnnyMaxwellTrilogy Johnny and the Bomb]]'' shows that it's possible to appear out of thin air, claim you're looking for the pottery club, and let everyone's WeirdnessCensor do the rest.

* ''Literature/HarryPotter''

* ''Literature/LeftBehind'': The Antichrist, despite supposedly being the agent (and later, living avatar) of the [[{{Satan}} Prince Of Lies]], uses a lot of transparent lies. It only works since he has some ill-defined MindControl powers to back him up.

* Played straight by the villains and their propaganda in ''Literature/{{Victoria}}''. Averted by the heroes, though interestingly more for MoralPragmatist reasons than because of HonorBeforeReason: Lies backfire when they are found out, whereas a ''true'' propaganda is invulnerable.

** In ''Literature/WatchersOfTheThrone'', [[spoiler:Asterion Moloc]] claims that he and his men came to Terra to recuperate after their fotress-monastery was heavily damaged in the attack. Pretty much everyone in the room realizes immediately that they're lying - [[spoiler:the Minotaurs]] are fleet-based, and their "fortress-monastery" is a warship currently in orbit above Terra, visible to all.

* ''LightNovel/{{Baccano}}'': In ''Drugs & the Dominoes'', when Luck Gandor [[PullingThemselvesTogether pulls himself together after]] near-decapitation in front of a witness, there's no possible plausible lie, so he goes for a blatant one:

* In ''Literature/TheAmulet'', Sarah asks Jo where she got a cursed amulet that's been slaughtering its way across town. Jo says she bought it in a Sears-Roebuck catalog. Sarah checks anyway and confirms that Jo is lying.

'''Luck:''' [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney Oh right, I have to repay you for this book...]]

* TheAntiChrist in ''Literature/LeftBehind'', despite supposedly being the agent (and later, living avatar) of the [[{{Satan}} Prince Of Lies]], uses a lot of these. It only works since he has some ill-defined MindControl powers to back him up, and more importantly because the authors portray the entire population of the planet after the Rapture [[IdiotPlot as morons]].

** Once upon a time, there was a massive civil war in the Seven Kingdoms (the Dance of the Dragons) for which any unbiased accounts about either side are rather thin on the ground. Except, there is that one chronicle recorded by the court fool, Mushroom. Problem is, he mixes truth, liable, tall tales, gossip and outright unbelievable lies in with his unabashedly negative portrayal of both sides of the conflict. Maesters use his accounts when writing about the period, since they're the best they've got, but they always comment about the dodginess.

** In ''Literature/BlackLegion'', Khayon reassures Lheor that travelling through sorcerers' gate is "just like teleportation". As it turns out, it's ''not'', as you have to fight your way through scores of daemons. Upon passing the gate, Lheor [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments decks Khayon for this]].

* ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'': In ''Literature/BlackLegion'', Khayon reassures Lheor that travelling through sorcerers' gate is "just like teleportation". As it turns out, it's ''not'', as you have to fight your way through scores of daemons. Upon passing the gate, Lheor [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments decks Khayon for this]].

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* In ''Literature/TheFateOfPaulTwister'', a fellow bard asks Paul where in the world he ended up with a special breed of horse that's strongly associated with paladins. He flippantly remarks that he won her off a paladin in a gambling game, and then in the narration, explains that telling obvious but entertaining lies is proper social etiquette among bards to get them to drop a question you don't feel like answering.

** The Dursleys also told Harry that Lily and James Potter died in a car crash. They seem to have told Marge that as well.
** ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheOrderOfThePhoenix'': When Harry is upset with Ron:
--->''"'I dreamed I was watching you lot play Quidditch,' Harry lied brutally. 'I was trying to get you to stretch out a bit further to grab the Quaffle.'\\
Ron's ears went red. Harry felt a kind of vindictive pleasure; he had not, of course, dreamed anything of the sort."''

** ''Discworld/MenAtArms'': When the rest of the Watch finds out Angua is a werewolf, they ask Colon if Vimes knew. Colon cagily claims he "sort of implied it", but when pressed admits his exact words were "She's a bloody werewolf, Fred."
** In ''Discworld/MakingMoney'', Moist asks why Mrs. Lavish keeps two loaded crossbows on her desk. The answer is "family heirlooms". He notes that a lie so blatant is clearly meant to make a statement rather than be believed. Considering the rest of her family, it's more of a [[MetaphoricallyTrue Jedi Truth]]. If any of her family tries anything funny, the crossbow bolts will be heirlooms, after they've been...''forcibly gifted'' upon the family member in question.
** In ''Discworld/{{Thud}}'', a fight nearly breaks out between a troll and a dwarf officer. Commander Vimes enters the room to find a table overturned, and the potential combatants being restrained by their fellow officers. He asks who's going to be the first to "tell me a huge whopper". Nobby Nobbs obliges by offering up an utterly preposterous explanation about how the dwarf almost drank some (dangerously chemical) troll coffee, and the others rushed to stop him. Vimes pretends to buy it, and the others pretend to believe that he buys it.

** ''Discworld/FeetOfClay'' has Vimes and Detritus discussing who possibly could have threatened Chrysophrase's drug smuggler, Hardcore, while a new applicant looks on in disbelief as Detritus's assurances that none of HIS trolls would ever do such a thing (and yet he knew who was threatened and why) are accepted.

** ''Discworld/MonstrousRegiment''. Roughly every other spoken line (though one specific character ''[[ExactWords technically]]'' only lies about one thing...).