As Tarr points out in a well-documented author's note, there are numerous scholarly works on Alexander, but relatively few recent novels. She lists Mary Renault's trilogy of Alexander novels (Fire from Heaven, 1969; The Persian Boy, 1972; and Funeral Games, 1981) as a predecessor. Another is Melissa Scott's A Choice of Destinies (1986). A modern novel about Alexander's chief of staff Parmenion is Dark Prince (1993), by David Gemmell.

The historical novel formerly encompassed a large genre. Almost as many were published annually as novels in the realistic contemporary mode. During the 1970s and beyond, this situation changed. Aside from big-name authors like James A. Michener (many of whom got their start during the boom in historical fiction), the historical setting is now most often used as one element of a cross-genre novel.

There are Christian historical novels, medieval detective tales, and alternatehistory novels (published as science fiction), among other types...