Despite the writing style, Servant of the Bones is not a typical gothic novel. It draws instead on ancient stories of the Fertile Crescent, such as the psalms and stories recorded in the Bible and the tales of Gilgamesh.

Like these stories, the novel mixes mystical, earth-shattering revelations with earthy details. Enkido, the wild man created to rival Gilgamesh, "is rendered tame by spending seven days with a temple harlot." Azriel is brought into the tale, attracted by the murder of Rachel Belkin. Gregory Belkin, a man who controls the fate of ninety percent of the world's population, is shaken and nearly thrown off course when Azriel helps his wife escape from him. Belkin's plot is destroyed by the simple love of his family.

Also, the novel's religious themes are con sistent with the stories of Isaac and the tales of the Egyptian exile.