Free Fall is everything that you would expect from a YA book focused on Poe Dameron: it’s a fast-paced bildungsroman involving a young hot-shot pilot getting into trouble with criminals in a galaxy far, far away. Poe’s parents are former rebellion heroes who settled down on Yavin 4 after the fall of the Empire, but the peace that his father values is driving Poe crazy. All Poe wants is to fly, like his mom, and have a life of adventure. His father only wants Poe to be safe. This opposition leads Poe to hastily accept a job as a pilot before he learns that he’ll be flying for the Spice Runners of Kijimi. Although he didn’t anticipate joining a criminal organization, Poe quickly falls into a life of adventure and into friendship with Zorii Bliss.

One of the most important things for me when reading a SW novel is to hear the voice of known characters when reading. Segura captures the voice of Poe, Zorii, and Babu Frik and they come life on the page. It’s great to read about what is obviously a pivotal time for Poe in his teens and to learn more about his backstory. I was also excited to learn more about the mysterious Zorii whom we met in TROS. I do wish that the interaction with Poe and Zorii had been shown more on page. They share many adventures, but we are told many times about their friendship and the quiet moments when they bonded away from the crew, yet we don’t see that foundation of their friendship. Nevertheless, when it comes to giving background on events that are hinted at in TROS, this book does a great job.

Free Fall is a fun adventure story and a good addition to the SW canon. TROS hinted at an intriguing backstory for Poe and Zorii, and Segura delivers. ( )

As a book/story, it's pretty good, and a nice coming-of-age story in the Star Wars Universe. As a part of the SW canon, it's bad and retcons a huge part of Poe's backstory just to justify Episode 9. ( )

I was given an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

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. ( )