Star Wars – Poe Dameron: Free Fall by Alex Segura is a fun adventure. It is angst-filled. The story explores Poe Dameron’s life before he joined the New Republic. Poe Dameron is a rebel in every way. He rebels against his father, who wants to keep him safe. And he rebels against the Civilian Defense Force that wants to keep his A-wing grounded. When he finds an opportunity to join a group of smugglers trapped on Yavin 4, he rebels with them. The theme of the book is stepping outside of your parents’ shadow. As two characters figure out the person they want to be. Poe Dameron: Free Fall is a young adult Star Wars novel. I have read two of these, mostly from the High Republic Era. Poe Dameron: Free Fall is my favorite so far. The highest praise I can give this book is that the spaceship scenes were thrilling. They reminded me of the Legends Era X-wing Star Wars novels. The character of Poe in this book fits in with the rebellious older character in Star Wars: Episodes 7-9. The book is fun and fast-paced, rarely dragging. The book is told from the perspective of 4 characters, which doesn’t always work. Poe is the main voice and takes 75% of the novel, filtered randomly with other characters. At the beginning of the story, the perspective switches to Poe’s Dad. There is a chapter from Kes’s viewpoint, and I thought he was going to be an important character. But the character is barely in it, and we never get his perspective again. The plot is good, but it is a smaller story in the overall Star Wars Universe. The only time the book felt young adult was the dialogue, which was not always the best. The ending of the book is exciting. Some fans might not like it. Poe saves the day, but not in the most heroic way. Poe Dameron: Free Fall was first published on August 4, 2020.

Why did I read Poe Dameron: Free Fall by Alex Segura? I was exposed to Segura’s writing through The End of the World As We Know it Anthology on Stephen King’s The Stand. I enjoy reading Star Wars books from time to time and saw he wrote Poe Dameron: Free Fall. I read this book sooner than I anticipated since Alex Segura was going to be at the Chattanooga Comic Con. I got him to sign both my books. I also bought Blood Oath, a graphic novel he co-wrote with Rob Hart, for him to sign.

Plot Summary: Poe Dameron has grown up always wanting to be a fighter pilot like his mother, Shara Bey. Shara’s claim to fame is impressive. She was in space fighting for the rebels. This occurred when they took down the second Death Star. Shara was killed in action protecting Yavin 4. Poe’s dad, Kes, was also a rebel, but after the war became a farmer. He does not want his son to follow in his mother’s footsteps. He is a loving father and does not want to lose his son. Poe wants to leave Yavin 4 and experience the world. Poe tries to leave but is stopped by the Civilian Defense Force of Yavin 4. Poe ends up meeting a band of smugglers in desperate need of a pilot. Poe sees this as his chance and takes it. These smugglers may not have told the whole truth about who they are. Poe finds out they are members of the Spice Runners of Kijimi, a violent criminal enterprise. Poe is in over his head. He finds a kinship in Zorii. She is dealing with the same issue of where she stands in this world.

What I Liked: This book is fun. Poe gets himself in and out of trouble the whole book. The story has a lot of strong female characters, which is lacking in Star Wars. There are strong female heroes and villains. I loved the relationship between Poe and his mother. The writing was especially good during these parts. The starship battles were edge-of-your-seat and a lot of fun. The book had some good twists and turns. The end battle was pretty awesome. I do wish Poe were involved more, but it’s still awesome. I was surprised by all the character deaths. There are some great death scenes. This book has one legacy character in it, and I like the scene at the end. The Millennium Falcon was referenced once.

What I Disliked: Poe and Kes’s story felt unfinished. I felt we should have had the true reunion. Poe is almost a background character in the ending battle. I wanted Poe to have more to do at the end. The dialogue was just okay. It was the weakest part of the book. Poe will sometimes say phrases that are very similar to each other. So I feel I have already read the same scene.

Recommendation: Poe Dameron: Free Fall made me feel the fun and adventure of Star Wars. If I had to compare this novel to a Star Wars TV show, it would be Rebels. Poe’s journey is living on the edge, and it is a fun ride. The story does get into the philosophy of right and wrong vs. good and evil. I recommend my followers check this book out if you need a fun escape read.

Rating: Poe Dameron: Free Fall by Alex Segura. I rated 3.6 out of 5. I met Alex Segura at the book signing. We talked about his latest Daredevil novel, Daredevil: Enemy of My Enemy. He did tell me his Daredevil novel leads into S. A. Cosby’s Luke Cage novel. So I will be reading both those books in the future.