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A review by braddington
Poe Dameron: Free Fall by Alex Segura
2.0
Poe Dameron: Free Fall takes us back in time to a much younger and vulnerable Poe, still reeling from the loss of his mother while searching within himself for that same adventurous spirit. Free Fall is meant to fill in the gaps of Poe's spice-running past, as revealed in The Rise of Skywalker, and while I think it certainly shows us those events, it falls just short of actually uncovering just how much this experience shaped Poe into the Resistance leader we know him as today.
I came into this book already having some issues with Poe's problematic spice-running history (and the optics around it). For me, the story did a good job initially of painting a more complete picture of Poe's family. It's evident that Shara's death is an open wound that never quite healed for Poe, one that is often reopened while butting heads with the overbearing Kes Dameron, who's afraid his son will follow those same pitfalls that took his wife. The opening scene where Poe flies his mom's A-Wing is fairly emotional, and I almost began to relate to Poe in his longing of a past that can never be reclaimed. These familial aspects had some promise in those beginning pages on Yavin 4 and I was hoping we would get more of that throughout the rest of the story, but it quickly became a sort of secondary storyline behind the logistics of spice running. Even though Poe is in his most angsty teenage phase, I questioned some of his choices thereafter, and by the novel's end, I didn't feel there was a satisfying conclusion with (or mention of) Poe's father.
Poe's time with the spice runners quickly fell into a noticeably mundane pattern: start a mission, get betrayed, escape. Poe would then question his decision to join the spice runners. It became a bit repetitive, and I kept waiting for Poe to have the decisive "I messed up" lightbulb moment. We gain a lot of insight into Poe's relationship with Zorii Bliss, but it falls just short of being fully convincing. Both characters complement each other well during the high-stakes sequences but it ends there, feeling less authentic (and a bit problematic and hyper-masculine) during the quieter moments.
This book contained quite a bit of exposition and had several time jumps that I think could have been explored more thoroughly, such as by fleshing out Kes's experience, as opposed to Sela Trune (whom was a nice addition to the New Republic) or further exploring Poe and Zorri's dynamic. There were also a few action sequences that were enjoyable, such as the final battle. Author Alex Segura illustrates a galaxy in a state of complete disarray following the destruction of the Empire, and I have always enjoyed learning more about the overall political climate between factions and governments.
For those who enjoyed the Rise of Skywalker, this book could serve as an entertaining supplemental story. But if you're hoping for more of a psychoanalysis of Poe and how he deals with and overcomes his early childhood trauma, this isn't the book for you. Overall, I would not recommend this book, and would suggest watching a spoiler re-cap to catch up on what you may have missed.
I came into this book already having some issues with Poe's problematic spice-running history (and the optics around it). For me, the story did a good job initially of painting a more complete picture of Poe's family. It's evident that Shara's death is an open wound that never quite healed for Poe, one that is often reopened while butting heads with the overbearing Kes Dameron, who's afraid his son will follow those same pitfalls that took his wife. The opening scene where Poe flies his mom's A-Wing is fairly emotional, and I almost began to relate to Poe in his longing of a past that can never be reclaimed. These familial aspects had some promise in those beginning pages on Yavin 4 and I was hoping we would get more of that throughout the rest of the story, but it quickly became a sort of secondary storyline behind the logistics of spice running. Even though Poe is in his most angsty teenage phase, I questioned some of his choices thereafter, and by the novel's end, I didn't feel there was a satisfying conclusion with (or mention of) Poe's father.
Poe's time with the spice runners quickly fell into a noticeably mundane pattern: start a mission, get betrayed, escape. Poe would then question his decision to join the spice runners. It became a bit repetitive, and I kept waiting for Poe to have the decisive "I messed up" lightbulb moment. We gain a lot of insight into Poe's relationship with Zorii Bliss, but it falls just short of being fully convincing. Both characters complement each other well during the high-stakes sequences but it ends there, feeling less authentic (and a bit problematic and hyper-masculine) during the quieter moments.
This book contained quite a bit of exposition and had several time jumps that I think could have been explored more thoroughly, such as by fleshing out Kes's experience, as opposed to Sela Trune (whom was a nice addition to the New Republic) or further exploring Poe and Zorri's dynamic. There were also a few action sequences that were enjoyable, such as the final battle. Author Alex Segura illustrates a galaxy in a state of complete disarray following the destruction of the Empire, and I have always enjoyed learning more about the overall political climate between factions and governments.
For those who enjoyed the Rise of Skywalker, this book could serve as an entertaining supplemental story. But if you're hoping for more of a psychoanalysis of Poe and how he deals with and overcomes his early childhood trauma, this isn't the book for you. Overall, I would not recommend this book, and would suggest watching a spoiler re-cap to catch up on what you may have missed.