Valeria's Cross

Macias (A Moment A Day) and Wales (the Match Made in Heaven series) collaborate on historical fiction set in the 3rd-century Roman Empire, in the last days of persecution of Christians before Constantine legitimizes the religion. Valeria is the daughter of Roman emperor Diocletian, a ferocious persecutor of Christians. Valeria becomes a Christian and falls in love with a Christian soldier who is subsequently martyred. She is then compelled by her father to marry the ambitious pagan general Galerius, whom she regards as responsible for the death of the soldier she loved. The writers are constrained by a faithfulness to historical fact that makes the story almost inanimate in spots ("And so the empire continued"), and also makes the character of Galerius unconvincing; trite dialog doesn't help ("I expected a real hellcat with claws"). The authors should dial down the history and dial up the fiction for a more engaging balance. (Sept.)