Member Reviews
Thank you to Disney Publishing Worldwide for an advanced reader copy from Netgalley!
This is a hard review to write for multiple reasons. I was super excited to receive this ARC because Poe Dameron is one of my favorite Star Wars characters and I feel that he had so much potential that was wasted in the movies. I wanted to know so much about him, his past, his romantic interests, etc. And then the last movie came out and Zorri got introduced and I didn’t care that much. I personally didn’t like her as a character. But I believed this book would answer so many questions I had, but it really did nothing for me.
“Star Wars Poe Dameron: Free Fall” takes one line Poe says in “The Rise of Skywalker” about being a spice runner, and turned it into a whole book which explains how he got into the action, how he met Zorri, but drags it out for 300+ pages that just wasn’t worth the time to me.
Before I get into the book more, I think my reading experience would tell you how I approached this book. I read about 30% of this book over the course of about 2 weeks and then I read the last 70% in under 24 hours because the book had such little dialogue and plot points that I didn’t even need to read all of the page to understand what was going on.
Moving on to the book itself, I thought it was pretty mediocre. Nobody has to read this book to understand Poe or his character anymore than the movies do. There are a lot of other books that cover Poe as a character before the events of the sequel trilogy that would probably cover him better, and this book actually made me want to pick up those books instead. I would honestly just recommend this book if you want to know more about Zorri because she is covered more in the book than Poe.
It just felt like any other Star Wars book to me, which made me very sad. I love Star Wars, and Poe is one of my favorite characters but it just didn’t do him justice for me. I would love an in-depth look at him and his past and his family, but what was covered in this book just scraped the surface. I could just be a little too old for the intended audience but this book was not my favorite and would suggest looking at one of the other amazing Star Wars books that are out/coming out in the future. I appreciate the ARC but I don’t think I would recommend it.
If you love Star Wars and Poe, you'll love this story. Star Wars fans will enjoy it, if you aren't one, then it is a solid starting point as well.
Poe Dameron: Free Fall by Alex Segura starts off as a tale about teenage Poe Dameron as he begins to get involved as a spice runner before he joins the rebellion. It's a fun, fast-paced adventure that jumps from mission to mission. It does a decent job of bringing young Poe and Zorii to life and letting us in to their world. Poe Dameron is one of my favorites characters from the new Star Wars films, but I wasn't terribly thrilled with where his character ends up over the course of three films. Either way, I was pretty excited to see the character I loved from The Force Awakens gets his start. Unfortunately, I was underwhelmed by this novel. The characterizations, relationships, and world-building were a little too flat for my tastes. My expectations were quite high and it just never got there, but to be honest usually any day I get to see a Star War is a good day.
The first act starts off with a bang and does a great job introducing us to the characters as well as Poe’s motivation. I feel that his thirst for adventure, while compelling and relatable, perhaps isn't a strong enough motivation to sustain the choices he’s making in the second and third act. The story seems to remind us that Poe's joined the wrong side and that the criminal life conflicts with his own morals, but I feel as though it doesn't provide a strong enough reason for him to stay in the situation, which sometimes makes it hard to root for him. I think I'd like him to fight for a good moral cause or be caught in a situation where he has to do morally ambiguous things to survive, but it feels like he’s voluntarily living on the wrong side in order to satisfy his need for adventure.
That said, what the book does, it does well. The action is exciting and engaging, and the story is well-paced. I enjoyed Poe and Zorii's relationship, as well as Trune's journey. Despite maybe needing a stronger motivation for the main character, this was a fun and engaging read.
Crime writer Alex Segura turns back the clock to add another layer of backstory for fan favorite Poe Dameron and takes a swan dive into the galaxy’s vast and complicated criminal underbelly. Sixteen-year-old Poe is a gifted pilot and is desperate to get off his home planet of Yavin 4. He yearns for adventure and since the death of his mother a riff the size of a parsec has grown between Poe and his father as they both continue to grieve in their own ways. Poe’s desperation leads him to volunteer to help a group of travelers escape Yavin 4, only to learn later that they’re actually the infamous Spice Runners of Kijimi.
Free Fall is nothing short of an action-packed adventure that’s driven by the tongue-and-cheek dialogue Star Wars fans have come to know and love. Characters like Zorii Bliss and Babu Frik also make an appearance. And overall it’s the kind of wild backstory one would expect from Poe Dameron. The downside to the plot-driven storyline is that Poe is forced to be more reactionary than acting with a sense of purpose and agency, which at times can leave his character feeling a little two dimensional. Nevertheless, given his own writing background, Segura doesn’t shy away from the gritty and often horrifying consequences that comes with a criminal lifestyle, which offers Poe multiple opportunities to reflect not just on the mess he’s gotten himself into, but also further explore his moral values and define his ethical code––a journey that many of today’s young readers will certainly find relatable .
First off and as always, thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for the e-ARC to read and review!
I greatly enjoyed this as an addition to the Star Wars sequel story! It gives some great background to Poe and to how/why he was a spice runner, as well as how he met and knew Zorii. There was plenty of action, space travel, and adventure! Anyone that loves Poe and his amazing piloting skills will love this one, so I highly recommend it!
I really enjoyed reading this, it really brings more light to Poe Dameron's backstory. The way it was written was great and it had what I was looking for in both a Star Wars Story and a Poe Dameron story. Overall I really enjoyed reading this.
Give me all of the Poe Dameron stories. I will read them all and love them. Seriously this was just what I wanted. I could picture him in my head and the voicing and conversations felt realistic to the character.
Give me more.
I struggled with the first half of this book as the plot developed it felt disjointed and confused. The second half and esp last 1/3 were significantly more solid.
The Character of Poe in the book felt flat at points and was improved by the Zorii's POV.
From a mystical / mythopoeia perspective, it follows the Hero's Journey which is important to Star Wars in general.
I enjoyed The Droid immensely, and the last 1/3 which shows very much endings matter.
My podcast will be out just before the book and is not available now. Will update,
DNF @ 50%. This started off promising; it seemed like we were getting a character driven look at Poe’s youth, his relationship with his father, his dreams, etc. That quickly fell away in favor of mindless action and forgettable side characters. I was looking forward to exploring Poe’s friendship with Zorii, but the way it was portrayed had very surface-level depth; their relationship held no surprises and it was the most predictable route they could have taken it. Star Wars books are tricky to get right, and I’ve only found a couple that really worked for me— sadly, this seems to be another middle of the road addition to the Star Wars novels canon. If you’re a diehard Poe fan and you aren’t looking for anything too unique or refreshing, this might be for you. 3/5 stars.
I really enjoyed this book! I’m a big Star Wars fan anyway, but Poe was one of those characters I wanted to know a bit more about. I found this entertaining, interesting, and fun. I could absolutely see the Poe we know from the movies being the same as this written Poe which isn’t always the case. I was also impressed with the writing and can’t wait to read more by this author.
Poe Dameron: Free Fall is finally the backstory we needed especially after the events of Rise of Skywalker. This book focuses on the early life of Poe and most especially, Zorii - who she is, how they met and why she is such a big deal to him. The book was much better than I expected it to be and I recommend reading it to understand more about the characters.
I requested this book on NetGalley and never expected to actually receive a copy - thanks so much to Disney/Lucasfilm for the opportunity!
Poe Dameron: Free Fall has got everything you could want from a Star Wars story - action, adventure, cool starships and a fun cast of characters. Zorii is a major player, of course, and it's great to see her again here. (She's such a fascinating character here, I wish the book were about her instead of Poe!) And Babu Frick absolutely steals the few scenes he's in.
That being said, this wasn't my favorite Star Wars novel, by far.
It's doesn't have an epic story to tell and doesn't expand the galaxy the way some other books do, which can be fine, but isn't going to ever get top billing from me.
My main issue, though, is not necessarily with this book, but rather, the way it fits into the larger Disney canon. The Rise of Skywalker's retconning of Poe's backstory as an ace New Republic pilot to a spice runner. Rather than the fun romp it should've been, this book just felt like an attempt to bend over backwards to justify a poorly-executed plot twist. If I hadn't been so invested in Poe's former backstory, I think I would've enjoyed it much more. Poe's characterization here is solid and believable but I just don't think it meshes especially well with his other appearances, not significantly later in the timeline, which I personally prefer.
Verdict: 3.5*
Recommended for: Star Wars fans eager to learn more about Poe's time with the Spice Runners of Kijimi, especially those who aren't already familiar with Poe's comics and novels.
Here goes the answer to Poe Dameron's mysterious backstory that was hinted in "rise of skywalker"!
I have to say, I'm impressed. Since page 1, the author knew it was going to take me into a wild ride and indeed, I was definitely caught up in all the action that the star wars universe provides us , and for this character to receive a mysterious and intriguing past, just like the character himself.... I am definitely satisfied. Fast-paced action, adventures in the stars as well as finding oneself in such a big galaxy...er, well society, Poe definitely makes many choices, some of which helped him become the person he is now and other choices that could've meant the end of his existence. His blooming romance with Zorri was nice, I enjoyed that plot and as for the different characters in this book... I absolutely loved the diverse cast of characters in this book. Definitely a great read.... I would loove to read a sequel sometime because this was great!!
What a thrilling adventure in my favorite galaxy far far away.
I was a little skeptical about this backstory because I wasn't sure where it would go. There wasn't a dull moment I'm happy to report and everything lines up with episodes 7-9. Poe is 16 years old with dreams of leaving his home Yavin Four and gallivanting across the galaxy like his Rebel Alliance parents. The young Dameron is a talented starfighter pilot like his mother a former A-wing pilot and Battle of Endor Veteran. Tragedy strikes and it's just Poe and his dad, both men unwilling to cope through their grief together.
Poe finds a way off planet and gets entangled with the Spice Runners of Kijimi. From then on Poe's life is in perpetual freefall, he's falling into a life of crime while also falling in love with the mysterious Zorri Bliss.
I still can't get over how thrilling this story was, and I kind of want a sequel.
I thought I would like this book more to get Poe’s backstory as he was one of my top characters in the movies, however, I know it is totally my problem but I just didn’t like his character (so sad).
I was provided with an electronic ARC through NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
An awesome story that gives more background into the character of Poe Dameron and Zirri Bliss. All the action and adventure of a Star Wars movie. Will keep any Star Wars fans interest.
i love star wars and rise of skywalker left me with questions about poe and his backstory and this answered them perfectly, would definitely recommend to everyone who wants to know more about the best pilot in the galaxy
Family, friendship, adventure, journey, courage, hope. The ingredients of Star Wars are in Poe Dameron : Free Fall !
Alex Segura starts this story with familiar characters if you have read Shattered Empire and Poe Dameron’s comics and Greg Rucka’s book “Before the Awakening” (if not, it’s not a problem). It gives the reader a feeling of being at home on Yavin Four.
Like a young Han Solo, young Poe Dameron yearns to fly among the stars. And he will with Zorii and The Spice Runners of Kijimi !
I love the way Segura uses the words to create proximity between the characters (Hands, eyes, smile, etc…).
When the characters speak I seem to hear the voice of Oscar Isaac and Keri Russell.
Segura succeeds in both integrating the characteristic audacity of Poe and the character's doubts about who he really is and who he really wants to be.
I loved this book from the first to the last page and I hope Alex Segura will write more Star Wars books about Poe and about Zorii.
My second Star Wars book in two months. Who am I? I really enjoyed learning about Poe Dameron's past in this book. We learn about how he became involved with Kijimi, Zorii, and the smugglers (all mentioned and shown in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker). I also liked seeing Poe's reckless and brave personality as a teenager. But the plot itself of the book is pretty lacking. It's one smuggling run after another, patched together without any smooth transitions. But the backstory is still pretty interesting.
Writing Aesthetic/Style: 4
Plot/Movement: 2
Character Development: 3
Overall: 3
Thank you, Disney Lucasfilm Press and NetGalley, for the review copy!