Angel with the Sword was originally published by Cherryh in 1985 as a free-standing novel.

The Merovingen Nights series came into being two years later when Cherryh began editing seven anthologies that were set in the same universe as Angel with the Sword.

For example, most personal weaponry is of the knife or sword variety; relatively few firearms are available and in any case nothing more advanced than a revolver.

In addition, the planet Merovin is isolated, forsaken by the rest of humanity because of poor interstellar relations with an aggressive alien species, the Sharrh.

Because of these limitations on technology, trade, and travel, and because many of the stories feature swordplay and skullduggery, the series is reminiscent of the old sword and planet subgenre of speculative fiction.