There is a throwaway line in The Rise Of The Skywalker where Finn finds out that Poe Dameron used to be a spice runner in his youth. Spice runners in Star Wars being the equivalent of drug runners, this comes as quite a surprise to the group as they know Poe to be a standup member of the resistance. But as we watch them weave through the planet with Zorii Bliss, you start to wonder what happened back in those days.
Or at least that is what new book Poe Dameron Free Fall by Alex Segura is hoping for. The book starts with a teenage Poe Dameron living on Yavin 4, dealing with the how the loss of his mother has affected his family and feeling as if he wants to live a life more than what Yavin 4 has to offer. It is here he meets up with the spice runners of Kijimi and the one and only Zorii Wynn.
To be honest this is where the book lost me a little, since I have seen The Rise of the Skywalker I knew Zorii as Zorii Bliss, that is how she was introduced in the movie and so when this other Zorii came along I was confused and thought I was going crazy. How common could the name Zorii be that Poe met 2 in such a short time? Mild tiny spoiler, they are the same person and the name change is not a typo. It all comes into play in this book.
Poe and Zorii meet each other after Poe gets into a fight with his dad and in a desperate act of teenage rebellion he joins her as the new pilot for the spice runners of Kijimi and together they get off Yavin 4 and start Poe’s journey into spice running.
All in all this book is well plotted and the doesn’t have too much downtime in between adventures, but at it’s heart it is a coming of age story that doesn’t give too much insight on how decisions are being made. Poe’s character lacks the charisma that his older counterpart has though you do see it try to sneak in from time to time. I would be interested to see if this becomes a series of books that will give us more insight to how he became such a well beloved member of the resistance,
It isn’t that his time as a spice runner isn’t that interesting because it is just not the most interesting thing about Poe since it wasn’t a thing that was fully formed in the movies. But it is nice to see them take a small bit of the movie and decide to run with it to make the character a but more fully formed. One of the saddest parts of the new trilogy to me was a lack of development for some of the characters, but they are bringing that around within the literary universe.
So should you read this book?
Yes, if you like Poe Dameron, read this book. If you like spice runners, read this book. If you want more Babu Frick read this book. And if you want more Zorii Bliss, read this book. Really I can’t think of a reason for a Star Wars fan to not read this book. Overall it is a 3.5 our 5 stars

Poe Dameron had a well-established back story going into The Rise of Skywalker and I know that many fans were disappointed in the perceived changes to it. I was one of them. I tried to wrap my head around what I knew about Poe already and tried to figure out when our dashing Resistance hero could have possibly been a spice runner in the company of Zorii Bliss - Alex Segura came in to answer those questions and no mental gymnastics were needed to make it fit the story.

Readers of the Poe Dameron comics will be familiar with his time in the New Republic and as Leia's protege, but who was Dameron before then? Segura's YA novel introduces us to a young man who is grieving the loss of his beloved mother and dreams of flying away from home and the father that would have him always choose the path of least resistance. When a young woman named Zorii Wynn catches his eye in the cantina that refuses to serve the still underage fly boy, Poe is caught in a whirlwind affair that takes him off of his home planet of Yavin 4 and into uncharted territory with the Spice Runners of Kijimi.

I enjoyed getting to know Poe as he learns more about himself and decides which course to take in life. I think a lot of people assumed the worst about Poe's "shady" history from what was mentioned in Episode IX, but, like most Star Wars characters, we see having been a spice runner doesn't necessarily tarnish the shine of the accolades that Poe earns in adulthood.

Free Fall was well written and the dialogue flowed naturally between characters. I appreciated that it was a little hazy in its timelines, as so much of adolescence can be, with one day easily blurring into the next and suddenly you can't remember if something happened in March or October. Zorii's character is fleshed out in a way that I wish we'd gotten more of on screen and makes her sudden change of heart towards Poe and the Resistance all that much more believable.

All that said, I highly recommend picking this book up if The Rise of Skywalker left you feeling more listless than an X-Wing with a fried engine or if you just enjoy a good YA space adventure. You're sure to find answers to those questions and some entertainment. Oh, and did I mention that there's an appearance from everyone's favorite black market droid smith? Much like TRoS, Babu Frik makes it totally worth your time.

I DNF’d this one unfortunately. While I get what they were trying to do with his character and making him more like Han, I guess, it leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I loved Poe in the movies, and it just feels like a cheap attempt to give a backstory to a piece of canon that is way too stereotypical.

The writing wasn’t bad, I liked the few parts with Zorii and Poe that I read, and the action and side characters did make this feel like a Star Wars movie / media. That in mind, I think I’d give this 2 stars.

https://medium.com/the-force-analysis/free-fall-sheds-light-on-poe-damerons-journey-from-shifty-criminal-to-selfless-hero-5f7c848b281

So I couldn’t not request this the moment I saw it, and honestly I didn’t expect to actually get accepted for this.
I’m glad I did though, because I love Star Wars! Ok I don’t just love Star Wars, I’m 100% obsessed with Star Wars. I haven't been happier to review a book before either. This was pure enjoyment.

I really wanted to know more about Poe and Zorii, especially after The Rise of Skywalker.

This story was the perfect action packed adventure that showed off Poe’s awesome personality and worked well as a backstory of how he joined the rebellion. I loved seeing his relationship with Zorii grow and then ultimately fail, to where it then leads to the movie where you first meet her on screen.

I would say this is one of the better Star Wars books I’ve read recently, I found the story gripping and easy to put down and pick back up again (I say that because reading e-books is hard for me since I only have my phone to read them on).

I did find it felt like it dragged on a little at the beginning, but once the story really got going I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Overall, fun story! Can’t wait to pick up a copy of the physical book.

This story is essentially Poe’s Origin Story. It’s actually a really good one and gives you a lot of the character development you would have missed from his appearances in the last trilogy which I think is important because he is such a prominent character in those movies.

We start with Poe when he is about 16 and he is on his homeworld, Yavin-4 looking for adventure and an escape from his boring life. Poe finds a way off Yavin-4 and that’s where his adventure really begins. He doesn’t want to do anything bad but to leave home he hasn’t got any other options.

As a character, Poe Dameron is an excellent one. He has personal issues with his parents that he is trying to deal with and has conflicts within himself surrounding what he wants from life and at what cost is he willing to pay to get it. For example, there is a part where Poe is willing to kill a certain being but later he doesn’t want others to die despite the fact that all of these beings are bad people.

Reading about Poe as a teenager and seeing the choices he had to make is actually really interesting to read. You will see what Poe thinks of droids and how that changes. He initially hates droids and thinks they’re worthless but a chance encounter with one slowly changes what he thinks about them, which makes so much sense when you see him with BB-8 in the movies.

His character really goes on a wild ride and along the way he has to make choices that are life or death for him. The supporting characters are also really well written and they push Poe to deal with his own thoughts. They also have their own very real issues and it brings them to life and to the forefront of your attention.

You get a huge backstory for a certain illegal group in the movies which I found really exciting to read about since I have only digested the movies, it’s a viewpoint I haven’t seen anything of in this universe.

The world is written really well and is Star Wars. There really isn’t much to say except that Alex has absolutely nailed it all and you might as well be watching one of the movies in book form. The action is well written and blasters, spaceships and droids are all as alive on paper as they can possibly be.

The book brings completely new content to the character and some other characters from the movies which I found completely refreshing.

If you enjoyed Star Wars then you will absolutely love this book. It’s a tale of personal battles, young love and doing the right thing for the right reasons.

Free Fall delivers the backstory on Poe that I was hoping for! Broad in scope with plenty of adventure, Free Fall takes readers for a fun and engaging read.

As a Star Wars fan I just had to read this book as soon as possible as it also stars one of my favorite characters ever. I was curious if the book could live up to the grand expectations that the movies bring and if it could capture the same charme. In this story we have a sixteen year old Poe who is yearning for adventure and bored of normalcy. Besides learning more about Poe as a character and filling in things we might´ve not gotten throughout the movies, we also get what we love in the movies - firefights and spaceship manoeuvres and one and the other mention of other Star Wars characters while not slipping away from the main narrative around Poe. All in all this book actually made TROS a bit more enjoyable, seeing Poe in kind of a new light. Fans of the Star Wars movie will enjoy this book and get a few hours of excited reading in! I can´t recommend this book enough and, as a fan, I am absolutely happy that this did not let me down!

This may shock some friends, but Poe Dameron Free Fall is the first Star Wars novel I've ever read. I haven't even ready any of the comics. I did a rewatch of the newest trilogy movies as I was reading this book and it was such a great idea. They feel like a fresh version of the original three, but that's not what I'm here to discuss.

After Rise of Skywalker came out, I saw my Twitter feed fill up with many angry fans. They had various things to vocalize, but the main thread was that the PoC characters weren't treated fairly. When it came specifically to Poe Dameron, people were furious about the insinuation that the only Latino man was a drug dealer. For whatever reason, smuggling anything else is fine, but not "spice." It's not my lane, so I probably retweeted other voices that made more sense on the subject. I was curious to see what a YA novelization about Poe would bring to the table especially considering author Alex Segura is Hispanic and representation matters.

To clarify: that means this reviewer is white. Also to be transparent, Alex Segura and I have been in the same anthology (Protectors volume 2).

Nowhere in Free Fall does it refer to any human ethnicity; it's a distant galaxy far, far away in a different time so what we think of as race or ethnicity may not even exist. Alien species are described well for those like myself who don't have the Star Wars universe memorized. Also, give a shout out for Gen Tri, they are a non-conforming, non-binary gendered character. A Pau'an, a Klatooinian, and Twi'lek walk into a bar...

Like human ethnicities, there is no mention that "spice" is actually a drug. Readers only know it's an illegal substance and that it's run by smugglers like the Spice Runners of Kijimi, the most powerful of the star-crossing crime families. But, readers aren't stupid and we know that spice is supposed to be code for something like IRL cocaine or meth or what-have-you.

Poe Dameron is sixteen through this story; sometimes to referred to as a boy, sometimes as a man. It begins with Poe living with his father Kes Dameron on Yavin 4. Here readers will see the teen angst of Poe who feels stifled and trapped. His parents, Kes and Shara Bey fought in the Rebellion with General Leia Organa (there's a glimpse of Leia at the end while she's still a Senator and it's a beautiful moment). Before she died, Shara Bey taught young Poe everything about piloting spacecrafts. Naturally that gives him the drive to be in space and explore. As a young foolish person, Poe doesn't care how it happens. If his father won't allow him to enlist between the wars, then he'll take whatever comes his way to get off Yavin 4.

Poe's emotions feel genuine and real. Throughout the story, readers will see him question himself, his closest friend, and all authority figures. Being sixteen in this other galaxy places Poe and Zorii at the brink of adulthood. They're expected to be adults in many ways, especially Zorii. Kes would rather keep Poe in childhood a little bit longer for his emotions to mature. Zorii is far more independent and knows how to survive compared to Poe. When they meet in a bar and he finds out her crew needs a pilot, he goes all in without knowing a thing about them. They aren't just a small crew of thieves -- again something Poe would be cool with just like Han Solo; they are part of the massive organization called the Spice Runners of Kijimi.

After a couple of life-threatening jobs, Poe, Zorii, Marinda Gan, Tomasso, Vigilich, and Gen Tri head to Kijimi. I think you can tell by the foreshadowing that not all of them will make it to their destination. The challenges and battles along the way are intense. One such battle is against a Zabrak named Ledesmar. She sounds every bit as mesmerizing as other Star Wars baddies. Ledesmar is described as as: "a tall Zabrak woman draped in a flowing red cloak, her pale forehead framed by smallish horns above and around it. Designs decorated her face and visible skin. She weilded a long spearlike weapon with blades on each end." Ledesmar was so interesting, she could have been the "boss" villain at the end, but wait, it does build up from here.

There's something about Zorii. Something special. The couple of people who know won't tell Poe, including Zorii despite their intimate relationship. I won't spoil it here. She's more than Poe's first love. She's called an asset of unimaginable importance.

The next character that helps craft Poe into the kind of man we meet later in Rise of Skywalker, is the droid EV-6B6 or Eevee for short. In Skywalker, fans got to see Poe's bond with BB-8. It was just as vital as Luke Skywalker's friendship with R2D2. In Free Fall, Poe begins with a lot of hesitation and bias against droids. He doesn't trust them at all. Eevee is cheerful to the point where she's frequently annoying the other crew members. She only becomes part of their crew after the battle with Ledesmar. She's driven to help others and chooses the spice runners as friends because her masters (other thieves in the Pyke organization) have died and Ledesmar "wasn't very nice" to her. She has no one left from her ship/home. Ledesmar stole the ship from the Pyke crew and destroyed all of them except some droids. EV-6B6 has her own thought processing and beliefs. She makes her own choices even after it seems Poe is her adoptive new master. If something goes against her morals, she rejects it. Her relationship with Poe is earned and mutual. Because of EV-6B6, readers also get to meet Babu Frik, another character on Kijimi from Rise of Skywalker.

The New Republic is much stronger than fans see in Rise of Skywalker where it pretty much doesn't exist anymore. There's a young leader who has a personal vendetta against the Spice Runners of Kijimi. Selena Trune is more driven than Zorii and Poe put together. Sela Trune is an officer for the New Republic Security Bureau and she will not let anyone - not even direct orders from superiors - keep her from going after Zeva, the Spice Runners' mysterious leader.

The biggest character breakthrough is Zorii Wynn, a sixteen-year-old human who was forced to grow up faster than Poe. Sometimes she's referred to as a girl; sometimes a woman. She's as mature as a woman twice her age. She's been ferociously trained for hand-to-hand combat and space battle though she didn't know how to fly a ship until Poe teaches her. She's torn between love and her call to duty. Like many Star Wars characters, Zorii is seemingly locked into her destiny and it's a deeply tumultuous inner struggle for her to make her own choices and feel like she's doing the right thing. Free Fall is legitimately just as much Zorii's story as it is Poe's. If anything, it proves that she deserves her own book or movie.

In the final act, readers get their first real look at Zeva, the ruler of the vast network of murderers, thieves, and smugglers called the Spice Runners of Kijimi. She's a commander with skills for leading all these disconnected bands of criminals and making them a cohesive force feared by all. So feared, that the New Republic looks the other way if she's conducting business on a place like Kijimi and off their radar. Sela Trune is the only one who is willing to go after her directly no matter where she is. Zeva is such a legend that some people don't believe she exists, but that won't stop Sela Trune.

The ending battle is one of chaos between a variety of villains, Sela Trune, and a more self-aware Poe Dameron. Poe and Zorii continue to surprise each other right to the very end. They've switched demeanor on each other more times than I watched the gif of Poe and Finn hugging.

In a nutshell, fans who were troubled by Poe being a spice runner will not be let down by Free Fall. He knows Shara Bey and Kes Dameron raised him better than that. At sixteen, his mission is about finding a direction in life and that's what exactly what happens at the end after the dust settles on the fight with Zeva.

"Criminals are a cowardly, superstitious lot. But you know that," Zorii said.

I have to know if this quote by Zorii is a reference to the Batman Beyond episode where Terry and Bruce are watching Batman: The Musical and the lyrics say criminals are a superstitious, cowardly lot.

Rating: 5 stars

Action and character evolution the way you wanted it.

Free Fall to the Underworld

Alex Segura’s Free Fall is the first story in the canon almost exactly at the halfway point of the era between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens. So many things haven’t been defined in this era, and we can see the author likes this situation.

We are getting new information about the failures of the governance of the New Republic. We will know after reading the novel how some crime gangs of the Sequel Trilogy (Guavian Death Gang and Spice Runners of Kijimi) have risen and how they are getting done their illegal deals. We know that the target audience is the adolescents, but I think they will not appreciate background info as I wrote about earlier. But these pieces of information is one of the things that make this novel likeable for the adult audience as well.

The other thing is the story itself. Officially this novel is about the early life of Poe Dameron, but the cover suggests we will know more about the past of Zorii Bliss as well. And that is how it is: we can read about Poe’s and Zorii’s motivations, spiritual struggles, and their history before the sequels. The dynamics between the two main characters are fine; they have a sometimes friendly, sometimes romantic, sometimes hostile relationship, which changes according to the pulsation of the story.

And the story pulsates well, until the end. Although it is often predictable what will happen next, sometimes the author pulls the unexpected. That’s why this novel is a good adventure of young spice runners in the galactic underworld. If Free Fall wouldn’t be tired by the end, we could mention it among the best canon novels, but it can’t be ashamed either. Free Fall was exciting reading material for me because of its many background info and some canonizations (for example spaceships and even some characters from Legends). Hopefully, it will be published in Hungary as well by Szukits printing house.

I really love Poe so I was excited to get access to this book and it did not disappoint!! Overall the story was great with the same characteristics of Poe that I came to love in the movies!!

After the let down of The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker (in terms of Poe’s character development) I approached Poe Dameron: Free Fall with excitement and wariness. His life, I had thought, was pretty mapped out in the Dameron comics and in the Skywalker spin-off with Poe’s parents. The casual mention of Poe being a spice runner in the last sequel movie seemed random and out of place, yet Alex Segura stepped up to the plate and wove together a fun adventure that fit with the universe I thought I had known.

Poe Dameron, a rowdy 16 year old, struggles with the knowledge of the heroic achievements of his parents, while he lives a monotonous life on Yavin 4. Yearning for some stories of his own, he takes his first opportunity off-world and runs away from home. Learning after the fact that he threw in his lot with The Spice Runners of Kijimi, we are abruptly put into the seedy underbelly of the New Republic which comes with gnarly piloting and fast shoot-outs. His friendship with the Spice Runners blossoms as he struggles between his morals and his short-term goals. You find yourself on the edge of your seat wondering how far Poe will compromise his values to maintain his loyalty to the Spice Runners. What will be the last straw that sends him down the path to becoming a rebellion hero?

Segura does a fantastic job with creating a young Poe. You can see that he still has a lot of growing to do before he becomes the man we grew to love in the movies, yet his passion and drive are there. For any interested in a more fully fleshed out Poe Dameron, I’d highly recommend Poe Dameron: Free Fall.

In the Rise of Skywalker we learned that Poe Dameron, dashing pilot and Resistance leader was a man with a past. Like many other viewers, when I left the theatre I had questions. When did Poe have a former career as a spice runner? How did he come to join the Resistance? And who was Zorii? While we only met her in passing in the film, it was clear that there was a history between her and Poe and that she was a woman scorned.

In Free Fall we meet Poe as a young man devastated by the loss of his mother and struggling to find his place in the galaxy. A former Rebel pilot and war hero, his mother had taught him to fly and shared his sense of adventure. She understood him. He has a difficult relationship with his father, who is unable to cope with the death of his wife and responds by being overprotective. Poe also feels stifled by colony life on Yavin 4 – its days of excitement as a Rebel base long past.

After a run in with the local law enforcement and particularly nasty argument with his father he flees and runs into an admittedly shady group who just happen to be desperate for a pilot to get them off the planet. And in a hurry. Perhaps it is his age, inexperience with the galaxy outside of his small town or his overwhelming desire to leave his life behind, but he does not ask a lot of questions – which of course comes back to bite him.

Free Fall delivers a satisfying backstory for Poe Dameron, which is broad in scope and ethical complexity. There is adventure, daring escapes and the brilliant, bordering on crazy flight maneuvers that Poe is known for. What I enjoyed most about this book though is what we learn about Poe as a character. His emotional life is fully developed and portrayed with sensitivity. He is passionate, idealistic and someone who wears his heart on his sleeve. He makes mistakes but learns from them. We also get a broader sense of what is happening in the greater galaxy and insight into the New Republic which enriches our understanding of this period. Highly recommended.

This book was so much better than I was expecting! Sometimes Star Wars books are mixed when they come to quality but this one does not disappoint. In this book we follow a teenage Poe Dameron who is desperate to get off of his home planet Yavin IV and travel across the galaxy. Desperate to leave he takes the first opportunity he gets and runs away with some smugglers only to find out that they are the infamous Spice Runners of Kijimi. Poe Dameron never intended to live a life of crime but it might be too late for him to turn back...or is it? Well if you've seen the sequel trilogy you know the answer to that question.

The beginning was a bit slow but it picked up very fast. Once Zorri and her crew were introduced everything got 10x more exciting and it was a non-stop ride of thrills and battles. Poe is not really trusted by the rest of the crew so he was constantly left out of the plans. He was expected to follow orders without question. And as we all know Poe Dameron does not do well being in the dark. What was really great about this book was that Alex Segura really captured Poe's character. I could imagine Poe in these situations so vividly because his character matched the Poe we know from the films. Some Star Wars books fail to capture the essence of a character but this is not one of them. Even Zorri's character matched what little of her we saw in Episode IX. All of the character's were really enjoyable and I loved learning more about Poe's backstory since that was quite a mystery after Episode IX. Poe and Zorri make a really great team and even though this story takes place years and years before Episode IX their dynamic was basically the same.

It was interesting to learn more about the New Republic. It turns out it wasn't so great was it? We see the beginnings of the New Republic in the Mandalorian and even then everyone thought it was a joke. That perception hasn't really changed. We get a New Republic officer character named Sela Trune and she was very loyal to the government she served. But even she grew frustrated that the New Republic was more focused on hunting ghosts of the past than focusing on the current rising threats of the galaxy aka the Spice Runners of Kijimi. The past is a big theme in this book. Poe wants to be like his mother and fly but he is also determined to create his own future. His choices are very defined by his past and the morals that his parents instilled in him. Poe is a child of the Rebellion and that shines through every possible way that it can.

Now this book wasn't perfect so I have a few critiques. The first and most obvious being that I don't think anyone ran spice in this book! Poe's crew were usually sent on more dangerous missions and we kind of find out why that is but hey when I saw Poe was going to be joining the Spice Runners of Kijimi I expected him to be running some spice thats all I'm saying. Another thing is that sometimes I was a little confused. There were a lot of times where the characters would receive a piece of information that they supposedly didn't know but I could have sworn it was mentioned 100 pages ago. That could just be my memory but it happened enough times that I noticed. Thirdly is that the point of views were kind of all over the place. They would jump around to random characters so much that sometimes it wasn't very cohesive. Some characters got a lot of points of view that I thought didn't necessarily need one while others, most importantly being Zorri, hardly got any points of view. And even then we only got her point of view at the very end. I think this book should have been told from three perspectives to follow the three biggest storylines: Poe's, Zorri's, and Sela's. If it was done like that I think it would have fit together better. Lastly the ending is left a little open for one character in particular. I don't know if it was left that way so there is room for another book (which I would love by the way) but I wanted to know more about what happened with said character.

This book was a lot of fun and it was definitely one of my favorite Star Wars books that I've read. I definitely recommend this book no matter what you think of the films. It was a good time and a great look into the more criminal side of the galaxy.

For Star Wars fans, this is a great backstory for fan favorite Poe Dameron. Even though his younger years are briefly touched on in the movie, this book does a great job of breathing more life into his character. I liked the action and to see more about Poe, his family life, and glimpses of who he became. My one gripe is having in third person and having giant blocks of backstory just dropped in was a little distracted, but it was definitely a fun read.

I really enjoyed this Star Wars story. Alex Segura's writing style is wonderful and the entire story line was fast pace, exciting and super interesting.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an Advance Readers Copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book was... fine. You get to see Poe's teenage years as he accidentally winds up with the Spice Runners of Kijimi. You learn a bit more about him, like how he learned the hyperspace skipping he does in Ep IX and how he decides to become part of the Resistance. You also learn more about Zorii, who was briefly introduced in Ep IX, but for a main character of this book, I didn't feel like I learned that much about her.

Things I liked:
-Babu Frik made a brief appearance!
-Joining the life of organized crime was accidental, which slightly lessened the blow of shoehorning a criminal history into the latino hero's past

Things I didn't like:
-Multiple mentions of the Spice Runners standing for something that's important to them, but no actual mention of what that was. What do they stand for?? I don't know!
-Zorii. You don't learn her motivation until the end and I didn't love how hot and cold she was with Poe, even if it made sense later.

Overall, this book had an alright adventure and expanded on Poe's backstory but it had a lot of parts that annoyed me. I hope we get better Poe books in the future.

I really need to loosen up when it comes to YA Star Wars novels. I'll hold my hands up and own the fact that I always roll my eyes or, even just think to myself that I'll get around to reading it at some point.

And when I do, I usually kick myself because I have enjoyed all of them so far.

This is the first one I have actively gone for and was lucky enough to get a chance to read a review copy courtesy of the Disney Book Group (thank you).

I was initially excited for this book, the same as I was a few years ago when the 'Poe Dameron' series by Charles Soule was announced because I love the character, I always have from the moment he asked Kylo Ren, "Who talks first?" I was hooked.

I have enjoyed him all the way through the Sequel Trilogy, his wit, his character arc and every time his theme comes on in the soundtrack I just love it.

So to get some more backstory about his younger years that ties into his relationship with Zorii Bliss AND his time as a Spice Runner was a thrill for me.

Without going into heavy spoilers, here is a very, very brief rundown of the story.

We meet a 16 year old Poe Dameron who is a bit stir crazy and reckless, he ends up joining with some less than legitimate people, including Zorii with whom Poe develops a close relationship.

They go on a number of adventures, get hunted by the New Republic and after a while end up on Kijimi where everything comes to a head.

What I really loved about the book was how well Segura writes Star Wars. He really knows how to craft a story in the universe and truly gets the characters he writes. I had no difficulty in picturing a young Oscar Isaac whilst reading the book and the same with a younger Keri Russell as Zorii.

The secondary characters are well written and enjoyable, the gang Poe ends up with really feel like a team, even though some don't get a lot of action they all have their place. One notable new character is the Droid called Eevee who once introduced becomes a welcome member of the team and a great source of comic relief. Even though we know Poe and Zorii will make it out alive, the majority of the characters are fair game.

Segura also gives us to time with a couple of characters introduced in the 'Shattered Empire' comics, Poe's father Kes Dameron and his family friend, L'ulo L'ampar in supporting roles, which help connect all of the Po Dameron stories we have had so far.

I really hope Alex Segura continues to write Star Wars books, he has proven he k led ow to write a great Star Wars book and understands the existing characters and add great new dimensions to them.

The book really flows well, the story is fun and engaging. The adventures the characters go on are thrilling and tense at times, the quieter moments also shine and the interactions between Zorii and Poe all help build up the relationship they had in their youth and gives us an insight to their relationship in 'The Rise of Skywalker'.

'Free Fall' is definitely worth a read, it's fast paced, thoroughly enjoyable and adds some great content to the Star Wars canon.

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– Minor Spoiler Review –

Poe Dameron: Free Fall is a young adult novel written by Alex Segura, exploring the character’s newly revealed spice running backstory. With an enjoyable, action-packed pace and great characterizations, especially for a younger Poe and Zorii Bliss, Free Fall hits a few heights, but it can’t escape feeling like it’s crossing items off a list for this new backstory.

To me, Poe Dameron: Free Fall is for Poe what Solo: A Star Wars Story is for Han Solo, wrapping up many various threads of a beloved character’s backstory into one, compressed story that feels more like checks on a checklist than wholly organic, but still manages to be a fun time with great performances, or in this book’s case, writing/characterizations. Basically everything newly introduced to Poe as a character in The Rise of Skywalker, from lightspeed skipping, hot-wiring vehicles, to his fractured relationship with Zorii Bliss gets an explanation here, much like Solo showed us everything from Han getting the Falcon, how he met Chewie, to his fractured friendship with Lando Calrissian. By the end of Free Fall, Poe not only remains a hero of sorts, he’s back on the path we already know he’ll go on, finally following in his mother, and father’s, footsteps, which makes this adventure with a nefarious group of smugglers more of a bump on the road than anything terribly significant in Poe’s life, but this might be a feeling I have from consuming previous Poe expansion materials, like his excellent on-going comic or Before the Awakening, which provide more substantial looks into what drives him/how he handles choosing the right thing. And while the addition of a smuggling background to a Latino character like Poe felt problematic in TROS, thankfully Segura manages to mitigate it to some degree as Poe largely doesn't actually commit any crimes, keeping him cleaner than the film suggests, but this book then also highlights how unnecessary and formulaic this whole part of his life seems. It doesn’t help Free Fall either that the chapters seemingly jump just enough time to give us a glimpse of him learning or trying something seen in TROS, as if lightspeed skipping itself, something similar character-prequel novel Rebel Rising managed to avoid in its exploration of Jyn Erso’s formative years. While many of these shortcomings mirror Solo’s, Free Fall also captures the film’s charm, as Alex Segura brings excellent and varied characterizations to life, while the pace, despite its focus on the checklist, is brisk and enjoyable.

Poe and Zorii Bliss’ burgeoning friendship takes center stage and thankfully Segura has a great handle on both characters, capturing Poe’s naivety and heroic spirit in stride, while expanding on the cold, but caring Zorii that Kerri Russel graced the The Rise of Skywalker with, despite small screentime. For Poe, seeing him in his younger, though still cocky years was entertaining, especially as he grows in maturity about the galaxy at large and earns the ability to be cocky. The expansion on his relationship with both his father, Kes Dameron, and surrogate uncle L’ulo L'ampar, were fantastic additions to Poe’s past, fleshing out some of the unknowns and offering time with characters I’ve been eager to spend more time with…especially L’ulo.* While Poe’s mother, Shara Bey, has already passed by the start of Free Fall, she was arguably the more important and touching parental interactions throughout the novel for me, as Poe frequently reminisces about her and what her teachings mean on his search for purpose and life outside the quiet confines of Yavin IV; it becomes clear by the end of the novel she lives up to the memories and pedestal he puts her on, making me glad we’re getting more time with her.† Every teenager has their rebellious ways, but for Poe not to immediately considering joining up with the New Republic military (which again would’ve drawn a big Solo comparison) made his joining the Spice Runners feel like a stretch, especially as he continuously tries to make peace with his choice, which pits him against the NR and therefore what his parents fought for, something he constantly mentions throughout. Poe is impulsive, and it shows here by making the choice to join the Spice Runners, but Segura does his best with Poe’s rationalizations to help string along the idea he’d stay with the group for the nearly year long time that he does, though of course Poe's main reason for staying is love. The relationship between Poe and Zorii is written well and befits both characters, helping to flesh out why she gives Poe a less than friendly greeting on Kijimi in TROS, though I wish we got more POV time with her. In the end, Poe fans will enjoy Segura's younger take overall, no matter the overall content of the story.

This brings us to Zorii, a character I was looking forward to exploring more in Free Fall than Poe, and the book largely didn’t disappoint. Zorii, about Poe’s age, has grown up living the life of the Spice Runners, so she comes from a much different place than Poe, but the two find a bond over having to prove themselves to their superiors and figuring out what they truly want in life. She may be pragmatic, less impulsive than Poe, and committed to the cause, but she isn’t all heartless, as we saw in TROS, and we get even better glimpses here, like a situation that involves uncovering a slavery ring run by one of the Runners’ contacts. Free Fall offers sections in her POV, but they are too infrequent, as Segura makes her even more compelling character once we get to see her rationalizations and feelings about Poe, the Runners, and her part in its legacy. Zorii’s sections are so good, it’s even more glaring we don’t get more time with her POV, as while I know the title is technically Poe Dameron: Free Fall, the overall book would feel even stronger with more time spent in the new character’s head. There’s a reveal late in the book, though it’s not hard to guess early on, regarding Zorii’s ties and importance to the Runners that offers even more intrigue and potential to have focused more on her, while the storyline provides a new angle and exposure to something Star Wars doesn’t cover often. It also feels like it comes into play far too late in the novel, robbing the moment of really hitting home before the thread is wrapped up shortly after. What goes down between Poe and Zorii, hence their icy confrontation in TROS, does remind me of Qi’ra and Han in Solo to some extent, which is meant as a compliment as it’s one of the film’s stronger aspects, and it’s why I wish this whole section was expanded on. Free Fall adds to and expands on Zorii Bliss in excellent, though somewhat limited ways, revealing the unfortunate brevity of her TROS appearance and making me wish for more of the character.

One of the other big characters in the novel is its antagonist of sorts, Sela Trune, an officer in the New Republic Security Bureau. She has a personal history with the Runners, while her relentless pursuit of them, in an attempt to bring them to justice and stop them from becoming the next big gang, pits her against Poe, Zorii, and their little Runners cell throughout the novel. She’s also a character I would’ve loved more time with too, as I enjoyed her crusade and how Segura framed and handled it. The rest of the Runners crew that Poe and Zorii deal with aren’t particularly memorable, but all enjoyable for the parts they play. There’s a confrontation with an escaped Pyke slave Ledesmar, who takes over a fleet of ships from a strange race, in the middle of the novel which is one of the highlights of Poe’s whole Runners experience, and of the book for me, as it's a section of plot that isn’t part of the checklist feeling that permeates the rest of the story; it focuses on the developing feelings between Poe and Zorii, Poe's allegiances to his past and future, and Trune's ambitious attempts at vengeance. In the end, I can't really blame Free Fall for having this story to tell, that's on the writers of TROS, so it's admirable how Segura manages to make the story engaging and fast paced, with great characterizations centering the narrative, but the limited scope of Poe's choice holds the overall story back, making it feel more of a diversion than anything terribly important to the character's life.

Here are a few other things:

*We first meet L’ulo in Shattered Empire, alongside Shara Bey and Kes Dameron. L’ulo didn’t get much panel-time then, though he does help convince Shara to retire, but later he has a starring role in the Poe Dameron on-going comic, though it ends in tragedy with a big sacrifice. Getting more time with him in Free Fall was some much needed therapy, though it re-opened the wound a bit too!
†Besides Shattered Empire, Poe’s parents haven’t been in too many appearances. Thankfully, they're a part of the 2nd Volume of Star Wars, so if you want to see more of them, check that out!
Covers have been known to change, but I’m curious about the switch from Alice X. Zhang's in the original announcement to Phil Noto’s for the final one. I like both: Noto’s has more from the novel than just Poe, but Zhang's I felt better depicted a younger Poe; either way, good covers both.
This is not a knock against the novel at all, but having to read the “Spice Runners of Kijimi” hundreds of times in Free Fall certainly made the name feel even more uninspired and dull than originally imagined when mentioned in the lead up to TROS. Most gangs and crime syndicates have imaginative names (Crimson Dawn, Black Sun), or interesting sounding ones even if it's just the name of their species (Hutts, Pykes, etc.), but the criminals out of Kijimi put the name of their business right on the box, a name which doesn't jive well with what happens in Free Fall, as I can't remember them actually smuggling any spice. We get a lot more background on the organization, like how they swooped in on the Pykes' Kessel situation post-Endor, but it doesn't help the name "Spice Runners" from feeling so...bland. If I don't have to read about them for a while, I'll be much happier.
Yes, there is more Babu Frik and it’s as great as you’d expect.
There’s some crossover with Galaxy’s Edge tie-in novel Black Spire at the end, interestingly enough.

Poe Dameron: Free Fall is the title character's own Solo: A Star Wars Story, an overall enjoyable adventure romp that can't escape feeling like it's ticking off boxes on the backstory sheet.

+ Poe and Zorii characterizations shine/Segura's writing overall

+ Takes some of the good from Solo: A Star Wars Story...

- ...and some of the meh as well

- Overall feels like a diversion, not important backstory

(I haven't posted my review yet but I've included the link below!)

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.