Short novels are movie length narratives that may well be the perfect length for science fiction stories. This collection presents the best-of-the-best science fiction novellas published in 2013 by current and emerging masters of this vibrant form of storytelling, edited by Allan Kaster.

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• “Earth I” by Stephen Baxter — A search among the stars to ferret out the origins of mankind amidst the Xaian normalization digs up many surprises.

• “Success” by Michael Blumlein — A brilliant but erratic biologist studying epigenetics struggles to hang on to his grip on everyday life as he writes his ground-breaking tome.

• “Feral Moon” by Alexander Jablokov — The Alliance military is invading Phobos to retrieve dead bodies for later repatriation, but the stiff resistance is putting the operation in serious doubt.

• “The Weight of the Sunrise” by Vylar Kaftan — In this winner of both the Nebula Award and the Sidewise Award for alternate history, the Incan empire is offered a vaccine, to contain a smallpox out-break, by a Virginian raising funds for the American war against the British.

• “One” by Nancy Kress — A boxer down on his luck gains the ability to read minds and grapples round-after-round with the consequences.

• “Precious Mental” by Robert Reed — In this Great Ship story, an immortal captain who has been living incognito for hundreds of years is kidnaped to help salvage an ancient derelict spaceship.

•  “Murder on the Aldrin Express” by Martin L. Shoemaker — In the Poirot-like mystery, murder is suspected in the death of the leader of a Mars expedition when evidence of sabotage is uncovered.