This was a fun Star Wars story. It was great to get some background on Poe. In most of the new Star Wars books you can tell what points the author was told they needed to hit to explain things in the movies. The points weren't hit quite as subtly in this book as in some but it didn't take me out of the story too much.

I loved how this expanded Poe's story. He's an engaging character in the films, but like so many Star Wars novels, this book fleshes out his tale. If Segura wrote more of Poe's tale, I'd read it!

If you're like me, you absolutely love the Star Wars sequel trilogies. I was super excited to get an early reading copy of this book, and I loved learning more about Poe Dameron before the events of what we see in Star Wars episode seven. The writing really jumped off the page, and I could see everything super clearly. What I loved the most was the way the author sticks to Poe's voice-- but not only that, we get a sense of a younger Poe. It flowed seamlessly, and I think anyone reading this book will have a greater appreciation for the movies. I would highly recommend this one.

Poe Dameron: Free Fall is a coming-of-age tale packed with the perils of teenage rebellion.

If you left The Rise of Skywalker with a lot of questions about the eleventh-hour inclusions to Poe Dameron’s backstory, then Alex Segura’s young adult novel, Poe Dameron: Free Fall is the book for you.

“You can love your family and still want to be far from them.”- Zorii Wynn

Poe Dameron’s upbringing is a familiar Star Wars origin story. In the years following his mother’s death, Poe finds himself feeling trapped at his family’s farm on the moon colony of Yavin 4, longing for a life among the stars. Dameron’s mother, Shara Bey, was a heroic rebel pilot and that thirst for adventure and flight runs hot through the sixteen-year old’s veins. He’s a kid with big dreams that can’t be contained by his father’s wishes for a quiet reprieve from the Rebellion.

“He doesn’t want me to die like Mom did,” Poe said. “In space. Alone.”

Some of the best moments within Free Fall are the scenes between Poe and his still-mourning father, Kes Dameron. In the wake of Shara’s death, their relationship has fractured and the grief that exists between them is palpable. So much of that strain is rooted in their inability to openly express their pain with each other. Kes desperately wants to keep Poe safe, to preserve his wife’s sacrifice by keeping their son sheltered. Ultimately, that’s what drives Poe headfirst into an unplanned life of crime with the Kijimi Spice Runners.

The novel goes to great lengths to explain several plot points from The Rise of Skywalker; from Poe’s relationship with Zorii Bliss, his involvement with the spice running, and hyperspace skipping. Babu Frick manages to steal every scene he’s in, just as he did in the film. It was exciting to see familiar planets appear throughout the story including Kijimi and The Mandalorian’s forested planet of Sorgan.

Some elements of the interactions with the Kijimi Spice Runners felt watered down to satisfy a young adult audience. They were certainly a group that had no qualms with associating with slavers and murderers, and murdering their own. At some points, I wished they leaned more into that gritty criminal underbelly, but it served its purpose by showing Poe the dangers that lay beyond Yavin 4.

Poe Dameron: Free Fall is Poe Dameron’s Solo: A Star Wars Story. The novel is an exciting space-romp with all the makings of a classic Star Wars story. There are fast-paced starship chases, heart-pumping firefights, doublecrossing and betrayal, a smattering of romance, and a healthy dose of Senator Leia Organa inspiring the next generation with hope. Alex Segura manages to put to the page all of the charm Oscar Isaac pours into his portrayal of Poe Dameron.

Your Money Geek thanks Del Rey Publishing & NetGallery for providing us with a free copy for review.

After viewing THE RISE OF SKYWALKER, I wasn't sure how to make the film's assertion that Poe Dameron had been an illegal spicerunner fit with what we already knew about Poe's background and New Republic service from novels such as BEFORE THE AWAKENING and comics such as SHATTERED EMPIRE and POE DAMERON. Alex Segura's FREE FALL explains this seeming contradiction and also provides a fascinating look at Zorri Bliss, the Spice Runners of Kijimi, and the dawning era of the New Republic. This is a page-turning story of crime, adventure, and mystery that stars an easily recognizable but much younger Poe, restless and frustrated and learning as he goes. Segura's characterization of Poe and description of his journey works well. My main criticism is that the ending comes very abruptly, without resolution of the Poe Dameron-Kes Dameron storyline or explanation of how Poe's record was made clean enough to enable him to volunteer to serve the New Republic. If a sequel is in the works to tie up these loose threads, I'd be delighted! For its characterization, the world building, and the many answered questions, I would recommend this tale to anyone who wants a good Star Wars novel -- or, for that matter, any YA science fiction reader.

***I received an uncorrected proof of this ebook from netgalley in exchange for an honest review***

⭐⭐⭐⭐

This book was a quick, fun read. The writing style was compelling, and the pacing was excellent- it really captured that classic Star Wars high-adrenaline feel. Alex Segura did a really good job at showing us the Poe we know, but at an age while he is still forming. You can really see the hints of his full personality coming through. I was really excited to learn more about about the backstory between Poe and Zorii. I was not disappointed! All in all, this is a fun young adult SW adventure.

The gritty criminal underworld has always intrigued me when it comes to Star Wars. From bounty hunting to spice-running, I’ve always loved learning of the lore behind the various cartels and enclaves that haunt the galaxy between Tatooine and 1313. ‘Poe Dameron: Free Fall’, written by Alex Segura, captured this world wonderfully. Following a 16-year-old Poe Dameron, the story sees a lost boy dreaming of the stars before finally venturing out on a journey that will inevitably lead to the Resistance by the time of Star Wars Episode 7: The Force Awakens.

Personally, I loved the novel. It begins on Yavin 4, 20 years after the Battle of Yavin. Over the years, an agricultural focused community has developed on the moon, and Poe dreads the idea of being left to tend to the family farm. He’s swooped up into the life of a Spice Runner of Kijimi and is quickly thrown into the thick of it, battling other crime syndicates and staying constantly on the run from the New Republic Security Bureau. I really loved the balance between Poe and his life of crime, and how he truly feels about the events taking place, desperately wanting to return home but knowing that he’ll inevitably be arrested. One of my issues with 2019s 'Rise of Skywalker' was how Poe was implied to be a Han Solo-esque scoundrel, but the novel made it clear that this was not the case. Watching the Kijimi scenes of that film will definitely hold a heavier impact for me upon rewatch. Not completely game-changing, but knowing the planet and how it operates will definitely shift my perspective.

I felt that Segura developed the character of Poe wonderfully, and showed that his time as a Spice Runner wasn’t two dimensional. As I said, he wasn’t a scoundrel like Han Solo, but a conflicted boy unsure of how to get out of something that he was already too deep into. I felt that the novel captured inner conflict perfectly, and that, by the conclusion, we were beginning to see the Poe Dameron that featured in the 2016-2018 comic book series.

The inclusion of new characters such as Sela Trune mixed nicely with building on characters already found in lore, such as L’ulo L’ampar. Sela Trune in particular was interesting. This novel is likely the only time we’ll logically see her, as her story is told entirely, but I really enjoyed her scenes. She reminded me of the character of Berch Teller from James Luceno’s ‘Tarkin’ in her determination and motivations. I hope there's more to her, and maybe we see her included in further canon down the line, but I would understand if we don't.

The book also shines a fantastic light on Zorri Bliss. We see her undying commitment to the Spice Runners of Kijimi, and get to watch her develop a rocky relationship with Poe, all while battling her own inner turmoil. The mystery surrounding her and the story behind her helmet in the film are great additions to the lore. That, again, will hold more weight upon rewatching 'Rise of Skywalker'. Most of all, however, the novel features the beloved Babu Frik, whom I’m sure will be the deal breaker for many.

While I found the book to slightly stumble in terms of pacing in the latter chapters, I found the characters to be well developed, the plot to be exactly what it needed to be, and the continuity to be extremely fun (Fans of Star Wars: Galaxies MMO will have a blast). This, to me, has added so much to Poe’s character, and will make a genuine change to the Sequel Trilogy and how I feel about the character upon rewatch. A great addition to canon and I hope we get more Poe-focused stories in future.

As a huge fan of the Poe Dameron character, I was of two minds when I saw this book was announced. The first was being ecstatic about a YA story with Poe Dameron as the main character! The second, well I was one of the people who really did not like the spice runner backstory that was given to us in The Rise of Skywalker, and I knew this story would settle around that time, which meant that I was biased against the book's premise, really before I started reading.

That said, I was still excited to download and read it. This book provides an entertaining and adventurous story with Poe Dameron and Zorii Bliss at the center. There's plenty of Star Wars action, ships, planets, and the pilot that we know and love, while also holding a fair amount of emotional center, coming of age, and showing us how Poe got involved with spice runners in the first place, and conflicts and ethical quandaries along the way.

This story did not sell me on the necessity of this backstory for this character, but it did present a canon version of a backstory that had already been declared elsewhere that I can live with, and it did so in a way that was aware of other canon already present with this character. One of the book's strengths, in my opinion, was an expansion upon what we know about Zorii Bliss, the spice runner we meet for the first time in The Rise of Skywalker. Her backstory and characterization was one of the best parts of this book, and I very definitely would love to see more stories or comics written with her character. She reminds me a great deal of my favorite Star Wars character (Mara Jade) in the best ways.

This brings me to one of my main book quibbles, which is that I feel like the book would have benefited from Zorii as a POV character earlier in the story. I feel like you could have done this without giving away any reveal, and that it would have been nice to have the outside perspective of Poe's actions and challenges, and generally added depth to Poe's story as well. At times Poe's characterization felt a little bit off to me although in most cases I connect this to the backstory itself and the fact that I struggle to really buy it from the character in the first place and that's not necessarily an author issue, but a wider canon issue.

Generally speaking, this book earns a solid three stars for taking a throw away backstory that I hated, and turning it into a book that I overall enjoyed. This book is likely to be enjoyed by casual Star Wars or Poe Dameron fans, and I think if you didn't have strong feelings about the backstory, it's a really fun romp. I appreciate the author taking time to give Zorii a backstory and history that made me want to read more about her and hope to see more of her in future stories and media.

Coming out of The Rise of Skywalker, my favourite new character by far was Zorri, and I'm so glad we have this book to establish more of her character! This is one of my favourite of the new Star Wars books; the story is engaging, and the author really understands Poe and gets his voice across exactly right. Thew new characters, while not given much depth, are all enjoyable and likeable, and while the plot is predictable it is very much a Star Wars adventure. I did have a few issues with the writing, particularly how in dialogue they seem to always use the characters' full names, but overall this was a great read.

"I'm going to be the best pilot the galaxy's ever seen. Bank on it."
- Poe Dameron

Poe "Cutie-Pie" Dameron is currently by far one of the most explored main characters in the Resistance era storytelling. We've had three movies, lots of Star Wars Resistance episodes, an entire comic line, and lots more, but there's a pretty big gap in there.

A pretty big, spice running gap.

The shady times.

If you've kept up with Poe's story in other media there are a few familiar faces. From a bit more info about his family to his days as Poe Dameron: Runner of Spice. There is plenty of space piloting, ship-battling, and blaster shootouts for that classic Star Wars adventure feel. While we are all familiar with who Poe becomes, this is an interesting exploration of a ginormous misstep along that path.

For Poe Dameron diehards this is a must-read. Seeing this early adventure unfold and learning the choices that lead him back to finding his true path is illuminating. Poe shows us what it's like to find yourself in a life that you feel trapped in. The details that I especially enjoyed were L'ulo, the A-Wing, Boshek, the Guavians, Obah Diah, Kessel, hyperspace skipping, Sorgan, the Pyke Syndicate, a Y-Wing, chaka-root, the Dai-Bendu, iced mocoa, and Babu!!

– Sal P.

Full review will be up after release at: http://theroguerebels.com/2020/07/04/star-wars-poe-dameron-free-fall-review

Generally, I thought "Poe Dameron: Free Fall" was a really solid book. It did fall into the YA trap a couple of times, especially with how the relationship of the two main characters inevitably developed into something of a romance. Their bond, frankly, was compelling without it.

The book examined themes of family, of how their expectations shape a person, fairly well with a number of its characters. Grief (at a loss of a parent and of family, as well as the ramifications of such a massive loss) is also touched on.

As an educator, I will be recommending it to our kids during our Reading Adventure challenge. As a Star Wars fan, it was a great reminder why Poe Dameron is one of the best characters to come out of the last couple of movies.

***Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review***

I cannot stress this enough: I love Poe Dameron! Anything and everything about him.

I have read my fair share of Star Wars novelization and extended universe content and have been disappointed in the past. Poe Damron: Free Fall was even better than I expected! The novel begins with Poe starting trouble and grappling with his failing relationship with his father. The first chapter had me hooked and I couldn't put this down!

After a brief joy ride in his deceased mother's ship, Poe lands in confinement, fights with his father, seeks advice from a mentor, and eventually ends up getting himself a job as a pilot for Spice runners! This is backstory that was alluded to in The Rise of Skywalker, but readers will really get a feel for the interplay between Poe and Zorii Wynn. This relationship was one of the things I was most curious about when I watched the latest Star Wars film. I am so glad that Disney/Lucasfilm is releasing this book to provide that backstory!

Having never read anything by Alex Segura, I was a bit cautious, but from the opening scene, I could tell that he really understood the elements of Poe's character. Throughout the narrative, we see that hotheaded, excitable, but prone to leadership person that Leia mentored and attempted to temper during the latest round of films. I felt like the conflict both internal and external was really well done and softened just enough for a YA audience to digest and be able to relate to. Though many teenagers don't have a fight with their parent and take off to live a life as a smuggler, but many do have struggles with their parents.

This novel presents all of the things a reader wants from a Star Wars story: high flying space battles, emotional conflict, a struggle between right and wrong, and fantastic characters. This is a well written book I would recommend to YA readers and general Star Wars fans alike.

I received a galley copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review!

Poe Dameron: Free Fall by Alex Segura gives the hero a clear arc — something significantly deeper than in the films. His parents, established in the comics and other tie-in works, get more establishment as well. Young Poe is struggling with his father’s expectations and mother’s legacy, as well as his determination to get offworld. As such, it follows many traditional hero’s journey steps. In this lively children’s novel, Poe teams up with Zorri Bliss and willingly joins the notorious spicerunners. Together the pair have youthful adventures, telling a fast-paced story while setting up events in Rise of Skywalker. As it introduces planets already seen in the larger universe, there are few surprises, but the book entertains well.
This straightforward story still offers some nuance. Poe has his first time comparing being a good guy and a bad guy as he finds the universe offers shades of grey. The book also establishes how one can switch from a law-abiding child to a Han-Solo-type criminal. It’s an interesting topic, approached with authenticity and soul-searching. It’s also a practical, realistic story instead of one of the mystical Force. Adding nuance to the larger universe, Poe’s desperation to escape his parents’ legacy as squeaky-clean war heroes mirrors Ben Solo’s — especially when his father poignantly pleads with him to come home. It’s a good establishing story for Poe, like several adventures in the comics. Though it does feel as if, since the theme park opened, too many books have the characters ordering off Disney’s food and drinks menu.

I enjoyed getting to know more about Poe Dameron and his past, The Spice Runners of Kajimi were a very interesting faction, and seeing Poe’s relationship with them, especially Zorii was super interesting. The book jumped around a bit, going from one scene to a completely different one a little disjointedly, but over that, it was fun, and a nice, quick read to learn more about Poe. I also liked how Poe’s relationship with Zorii was handled, and now, the interactions of the two from The Rise of Skywalker make much more sense to me.

I am one of the fans who were surprised about the not-so-clean past revealed in The Rise of Skywalker. He was a smuggler, one of the worst type of smuggler: a spice runner, which means he smuggled drugs. But if we think more and more about it, Abrams’ innovation fitted the character and connected to the Poe we got familiar in The Last Jedi. He was an autonomous, stubborn guy, not a compliant soldier. In Star Wars, we had an interesting romantic of spice smugglers since Han Solo, who played a character like this in The Force Awakens as well, but in The Rise of Skywalker Poe became this character. Poe is like a mixture of Han Solo and Wedge Antilles; he became a “perfect pilot”.

In Poe, however, the desire for freedom and action coincides with the need to do well. This duality and wrestling in character can be seen perfectly in Alex Segura’s Free Fall. Poe is only 16 years old in this story, his desire for adventure is boiling in him, he is fed up with his father’s protective love, he wants to leave a mark in the galaxy. Star Wars is about family, and in this novel, the parent-child relationship also plays an important role, especially between Poe and his father, Kes Dameron. Poe is longing for an adventure, away from their farm. He evokes Luke Skywalker of A New Hope, only here it is not Uncle Owen but Kes Dameron who wants to protect the boy from the horrors of the galaxy. The book is an excellent illustration of the tensions between the two generations’ misunderstanding of each other, the contrast between parental experience and youthful desire to act.

However, the expected adventure came too fast and too concentrated: Poe joins of the most dangerous teams in the galaxy, the Spice Runners of Kijimi, whose principles and actions he may not be able to identify with. Here he meets Zori, the other main character in the novel. And while Poe’s background and family are already known in the canon, Zorii Bliss character gets a real and deep background story, making me one of the favourite characters of the age of the Sequel Trilogy. The dynamics, care and conflict between the two main characters are lifelike, lovable and exciting. Although we know the end of their relationship in Episode IX, the novel guided this very nicely: mixing intimate moments with unspoken secrets, conflicting goals, and sources of tension caused by different family backgrounds.

Another advantage of the book is that we can get to know the New Republic in its full power, what the galaxy became more than ten years after the fall of the Empire. Well, it’s like in The Mandalorian: the central government only reaches the central planets, less the Outer Rim: here the underworld rules. An essential character in the book is an officer from the New Republic Security Bureau. In contrast, the other characters, except for Poe’s family members, are tied to the underworld. The book shows very well how the things changed after the fall of the Empire, how the Pykes were pushed back in the spice business, and how emerging bands like the Spice Runners of Kijimi emerged. Although the underworld of Star Wars movies seems to be romantic and bohemian, and Zorii’s spice runners also seemed like “Cheerful Boys” in The Rise of Skywalker, the book reveals that Kijimi is Nar Shaddaa of the Sequel Era: cruel, violent and sinful.

Alex Segura is excellent at drawing scenes, the book is teeming with action-packed moments, but it also leaves time and space to unfold the personality of the characters. The exciting and entertaining story is, moreover, nicely linked to other canonical content set in the era, be it the Shattered Empire comic series, The Mandalorian streaming series, or even the content related to Galaxy’s Edge. The book is a real masterpiece, one of the best of the canon!

Free Fall is a much anticipated look into the formative years of one of the New Republic’s most talented pilots. It expertly showcases Poe Dameron’s rise from teenage delinquent, to revered smuggler, to a budding New Republic pilot. Plenty of dog fights, and light on the romance, this action packed story sports a plot dense, character driven narrative worthy of the big screen,

Poe Dameron is an unhappy teen. He wants to follow the adventurous footsteps of his long gone mother, but his father won't consent to any of it. After an antic goes awry, a hot-headed Poe enlists with an organization with a notorious reputation, the Spice Runners of Kijimi.

As an outcast and low level member of the cell he is part of, he only finds friendship in Zorii Wynn, another teenager, totally committed to the ideals of the organization. Together they acquire experience and improve their rank, through several missions.

Back on Yavin 4, his father works with Sela Trune, a talented but young investigator from the New Republic Security Bureau. She's been building a case against the Kijimi organization, and will do anything in her power to stop them. But will she be able to keep her personal motivations in check?

Raw action, intrigue and plenty of betrayals make this a really entertaining novel, who will let us understand better the Poe of the trilogy. Props to Alex Segura for his smooth writing and for weaving all the small or big canon connections with the movies, TV series, novels and comics.

Recommended!

Slow quite a bit. I think this one tried but overall it needs a bit more backstory to the character and his origins than it had. Maybe I am wrong, but I wanted so much more than it had.

“Poe Dameron, spice runner. Runner of spice.”

The surprising revelation of Poe Dameron’s checkered past in The Rise of Skywalker is now a novel for every Star Wars fan to discover. Star Wars Poe Dameron: Free Fall, written by Alex Segura, takes the reader on a planet-hopping adventure to tell the story of young Poe—from his brief, mundane life on Yavin 4 with his father Kes Dameron and his friend L’ulo Lampar to his life as a Spice Runner of Kijimi.

Free Fall focuses on the family theme—that is at the core of Star Wars. Poe Dameron’s parents were heroes of the Rebellion who experienced the fall of the Empire first hand. Although Kes Dameron and Shara Bey retired to Yavin 4 to raise their child—the stories of adventure far away from home shaped Poe’s personality, especially his passion for flying. Shara’s death created tension between Poe and his father—pushing Poe to follow his mother’s footsteps and become a pilot, far away from home. That’s when young Dameron joins the Spice Runners of Kijimi.

Alex Segura stays true to Poe Dameron’s character—from hot-headed nature to mad piloting skills—but one thing that stands out in Free Fall is Poe’s good heart and determination to stay true to himself despite the choices that led him to become a scoundrel.

Poe Dameron isn’t the only main character Free Fall develops around; Zorii Bliss’ origin story enriches the character in a way The Rise of Skywalker never could. Not only does the novel delve into the emotionally complex relationship between the two—shining the light about Zorii’s grudge against Poe in The Rise of Skywalker—but it also dives deep into Zorii’s devotion as a member of the Spice Runners of Kijimi and the reason why her journey led her to eventually become the leader of the criminal organization.

The novel also introduces a variety of new characters—from fearless criminals to a hyper-positive, yet hilarious droid—but the most remarkable one is a New Republic Security Bureau officer who is desperate to bring the Spice Runners to justice. Her determination and methods almost resemble the Imperial days. It’s fascinating to see the “good guys” dealing with bringing order to the galaxy without crossing the line as the Empire did.

Free Fall did not disappoint with the inclusion of the iconic planet of Kijimi and one of its most fascinating inhabitants from The Rise of Skywalker: Babu Frik. The little Anzellan droidsmith serves the same purpose in the novel as he did in the movie, with the exception that Free Fall provides the missing link of his friendship with Zorii and his acquaintance with Poe Dameron.

The cinematic structure of Free Fall makes it a smooth and enjoyable read—and gives hope for an eventual comic book adaptation (the cover art was created by Phil Noto, the artist behind the Poe Dameron comic series). The constant planet hopping gives the reader an opportunity to feel like you are on a space cruise, but it never takes away the focus from character and story development. The novel feels fresh for its standalone nature while satisfyingly linking the events from The Rise of Skywalker.

From hyperspace skipping to romance to epic fights, Poe Dameron: Free Fall is an essential read, whether you are a fan of the flyboy wonder or not. Pre-order your copy today!