At first glance, Star of Gypsies does not seem to have many precursors, at least among science fiction novels. However, many works in the "future-histories" of Isaac Asimov and Robert Heinlein have dealt with political struggles in a science fiction context. An even closer parallel can be found in the novels in Frank Herbert's Dune saga, which deal extensively with political intrigue in a future history setting. Like Star of Gypsies, the Dune novels also draw on past human cultures (Renaissance Italy, Arabic culture) for precedents, just as Silverberg makes extensive use of gypsy tradition. Finally, science fiction has a tradition of novels with trickster heroes: Some precedents here are the works of L. Sprague de Camp, Jack Vance, and Poul Anderson's series about a shrewd intergalactic trader called Nicholas van Rijn (1964; see entry on Trader to the Stars).

Another literary influence on Star of Gypsies...