Poe Dameron: Free Fall by Alex Segura
Poe Dameron: Free Fall written by Alex Segura
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I know there are many people who were upset with the revelation that Poe used to be a spice smuggler, and I totally get the frustration. Poe is played by a Latino man and making the Latino person a drug smuggler certainly doesn't sit well in regards to stereotypes. But I would like to put forth the argument that this book takes place 18 years after the Battle of Yavin and Poe is still very much a teenager at the age of 16. He's learning, growing, exploring, and figuring out who he is a person. He feels trapped and like he's suffocating from boredom and loneliness on Yavin IV and it's nearly by accident that he ends up with the Spice Runners of Kijimi in the first place. As it says in the novel, "The slightest suggestion of Poe becoming a pilot--of leaving Yavin IV and following in the footsteps of his mother, Shara Bey--was met with an immediate rejection." And Poe has the stars in his bones!! He gets an opportunity to fly off planet and what teenager wouldn't pass up such an opportunity when they feel like their life is going nowhere? Yes, it was reckless, ill-thought-out, and super dangerous, but teenagers are all of those things. As Poe says himself, "'Adventure's what I'm after,' [...] the words reaching his mouth fully formed, as if coming directly from his heart instead of his brain." And it turns out that he wasn't a spice runner for long at all. After only a few years with the criminal organization (the timeline in the book making it seem like not much more than a year), he has a change of heart and decides to forge his own, less dodgy, path in life.
The book is separated into four sections as outlined below: Grounded (Chapters 1-10), Renegade (Chapters 11-22), Awakenings (Chapters 23-31), and Fallout (Chapters 32-41).
To get eyes on Kes Dameron, Poe's father, we have this in the narrative, "Kes Dameron was sullen, isolated, and distant." And in regards to living on Yavin IV, "Now what appealed to Kes was how small the settlement was. He knew pretty much everyone on the moon, and knew their routines--which made it easier to avoid them and go about his business on his own terms." The only real friend the man has is L'ulo L'ampar, a Duros pilot from the Rebellion who is even a friend to Poe. The kicker is that Kes knows he's been cruel and unfair to Poe in the wake of Shara's death, but he keeps on in the same manner, regardless. "Had he been so selfish with his own grief--putting shields up, erasing the past--that he didn't stop to consider his son might need to connect with someone? To laugh, grieve, or think about his mother? Kes knew this to be true." So Poe has an emotionally distant father who won't let him even consider following his dreams. Such a thing is difficult for anyone to deal with...much less a 16 year old.
A little on Yavin IV at this point in the timeline, "Yavin IV wasn't a large colony. It was a sparse assortment of settlements that tended to cluster around the moon's ports and temples, a transient place. [...] Yavin IV's permanent residents were paired with traders, skilled laborers, harvesters who dove into the gas giant's atmosphere to collect gems, and people looking for a place to refuel and recharge before reaching their actual destination. Prospectors who spent time on Yavin's other moons came to Yavin IV to cut loose--to drink their earnings away and enjoy themselves. That was all well and good for them, for people who could hop on their ships and head off-world at a moment's notice. But to Poe, that meant one thing--Yavin IV was a boring, dead-end place with no chance of getting any livelier." And all this makes me think, did we really want Poe to be a good ole boy with high morals and overwrought respect for his dad?? I'd much rather the character be real and be dealing with difficult situations in his own unique, albeit misinformed ways. This book made Poe come alive for me--a character who is trying his darnedest to deal with trauma and hurt in the best way his young teenage brain knows how.
Now I should probably give a bit of background on how the criminal underworld looks and functions under the new power in charge--The New Republic. Basically, there's chaos and various factions are swooping in to take advantage of the disarray. In regards to the Spice Runners of Kijimi in particular, "a secretive, upstart organization that had managed to piece together an impressive--if still feisty and small--alliance of thieves, murderers, and scoundrels to capitalize on the chaos that had sprung from the collapse of the Empire, which had left the lucrative spice trade coming out of Kessel in a state of complete disarray. Without Imperial oversight, the battle for spice was a violent struggle among various factions, leaving busy processing terminals inoperational." "They specialized in striking and seizing transport ships that managed to emerge from the chaos of the spice trade. Over time, the band of spice runners worked out their own, independent partnership with the mine operators, becoming an exclusive pipeline for Kessel spice that reached all the way to Kijimi, and was still growing." Zeva is the organization's "mysterious, all-knowing leader" and she commands a Centurion-class battlecruiser.
On to the story itself:
Grounded (Chapters 1-10)
We start off with Poe in atmosphere above Yavin IV taking a joyride in his deceased mother's old A-wing. He comes across three Civilian Defense Force vessels and knows he's in trouble. Turns out he'd gone a little too close to space and had therefore alerted the authorities...and the authorities are willing to do what is necessary to prevent any further joyriding on the part of Poe--like shoot him down necessary... He ends up crashing the ship and in a jail cell to be rescued, not for the first time by his father, Kes. And they argue like they have time and time again thus leading Poe to a familiar cantina, Gully's, where he meets up with a division of the Spice Runners of Kijimi...the Klatooinian Vigilch, the Pau'an Gen Tri, the red Twi'lek Marinda Gan, and the human Zorii Wynn. After some boasting and vocalized desperation about getting off of Yavin IV, Poe's determination and confidence get him a job as the crew's pilot on the Ragged Claw--an XS stock Corellian light freighter...and his adventure begins!!
The antagonist as the story ramps up is New Republic Security Bureau officer Sela Trune, a woman who very quickly rose through the ranks, holding her current position at the age of 22. She has a personal grudge against the Spice Runners of Kijimi because they killed her family and destroyed everything she knew...and unfortunately for her, she definitely lets this emotional fact get the better of her throughout her hunt. She was born on "Yungbrii--a cold, rocky, and mountainous spot in the Opalok system in the Mid Rim." After being on duty at the NRSB for less than a month, she gets the call that her family has been massacred.
The Spice Runner crew's first obstacle is dealing with the NRSB trying to "rescue" Poe as soon as they leave atmosphere. Poe comes up with a plan to convince the agency that he's been kidnapped and will be dropped off in the Sawaya system. After a few tense moments, the offer is accepted...and...the crew does not go to the Sawaya system but off to complete their own missions for the larger Spice Runners of Kijimi organization.
Their home base turns out to be Sorgan!!! You know, the planet from "The Mandalorian" episode "Sanctuary" where Din Djarin met Omera and almost stayed with the Child?? It's described as a "dense swamp planet" with a very small population and Poe is none to happy about hanging around a planet worse than Yavin IV when he had just escaped the boredom that moon had on offer.
Zorii Wynn turns out to be an incredibly complicated character with an obvious storied history that she's not willing to share with anybody. Although the same age as Poe, she "talked and moved like a woman twice as old. Mature, confident, world-weary." "Her mood could veer from warm and friendly to frigid and disinterested in moments, it seemed." "Zorii laughed--a free, musical sound that seemed at odds with the stoic, steely exterior Poe had come to know." I loved getting more insight into Zorii's personality and traits and watching the relationship of comradeship develop between her and Poe.
Poe ends this section of the novel wondering, "What have I done?" and begins seriously questioning the situation he's gotten himself into...
Renegade (Chapters 11-22)
The crew go on a mysterious mission to the Outer Rim planet of Quintil--a "frigid rock"--a few weeks after Poe's joining them and Zorii asks Poe how he's feeling. "If he was being honest with himself, he was still reeling from the move--one born of impetus and emotion but fraught with real, concrete consequences Poe was not yet ready to accept." On this planet we're introduced to Tomasso who is second in command to Zeva and needs a bit of a helping hand after being attacked by a rival organization--the Zualjinn Syndicate.
Poe and Zorii begin bonding and becoming true friends...possibly more than that as they hold hands in the night while sleeping. It's all very innocent and born out of a need for understanding, acceptance, and a fellow person who knows what you're feeling.
And Poe learns to hyperspace skip (as seen in The Rise of Skywalker)!! During their daring skip, they enter the Davezra Way and encounter a garsath (massive, bloodthirsty, indestructible). The Ragged Claw barely makes it out functional but the gamble is a success in terms of the crew's survival and Vigilch finally proclaims Poe a member of the Spice Runners of Kijimi.
Then a new...and turns out deadly...mission arises against "a female Zabrak mercenary named Ledesmar, who'd absconded with a fleet's worth of ships from the Pyke Syndicate, a fading but still formidable galactic criminal organization." During the mission we learn that Poe used to not like droids--which of course is crazy seeing as he's attached at the hip with BB-8! "They weirded him out. He liked people. Living beings with personalities and foibles. Droids were just--odd." But he meets a droid on the mission who he takes a shining to, she seems happy and he's instantly pulled by her jovial personality--EV-6B6, a droid who becomes a major player as the story progresses. And Zorii even finds her Y-wing on this mission, something she would've had no clue how to fly had it not been for Poe's clandestine lessons while they waited between jobs.
And finally, we get our first kiss between the ever-growing-closer two teenagers of Zorii and Poe, "They kissed, their touch electric and natural at the same time. Poe was surprised, and he could tell she was, too. It felt right, he knew that much--the culmination of weeks of kinetic energy dancing between them. Of lingering glances, knowing smiles, and a rapport that felt like more than just that of allies or teammates." At this point, the boy deeply cares for Zorii although he still doesn't know all that much about her background. He just knows her personality and how she makes the effort to check in on how he's doing--it's a pretty darn pure teenage love.
Awakenings (Chapters 23-31)
Three months have passed since the ordeal with Ledesmar and in regards to Poe, well, "He no longer grappled with whether he'd made the right decision to leave Yavin IV--he just dealt with the aftershocks, which were strong and ever present." Poe never stops being conflicted over his decision, it's definitely not as if he ever felt super gung-ho about his place in the Spice Runners of Kijimi.
The relationship between Poe and Zorii continues evolving but at a slow pace, with them sneaking surreptitious kisses in the quiet times, holding hands, and being emotionally intimate with each other (as much as Zorii can muster at least), but nothing compares to their kiss on Ledesmar's ship...they haven't been able to reach the same passion they felt in that moment so it seems that their intimacy is not exactly going anywhere fast.
And we get our first major glimpse into the fact that Zorii Wynn is someone important, someone special, and people are after her specifically...I'm not going to give away the secret behind THAT in this review...you really should just read this book to find out!!
Eight months pass since he left Yavin IV and "Poe was torn. He fed off the adventure--the shootouts, the high-stakes space battles, the last-minute escapes. It was what he'd dreamt of since before his mother died, even before he desperately longed for a life outside of the constraints of Yavin IV. But at what cost?"
There are many surprises and twists and turns that develop as this section progresses and I want to keep the mystery, so again, I will not be divulging them here.
Fallout (Chapters 32-41)--This is where Poe's heart and mind finally coalesce and he realizes the error of his ways...in a big, showy, super brave yet reckless kind of way! And...I'll leave it at that!
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TRIVIA...and there's LOTS of it!:
-"The main settlement on Yavin IV was often referred to as Wetyin's Colony, whose inhabitants were originally from the planet Setor. The settlers had moved to Yavin IV and become farmers."
-Gully's cantina on Yavin IV is bartended by a Devaronian named Fontis and is bounced by a Dowutin.
-TONS of familiar sentient species are mentioned which makes my canon connections heart crazy happy!!! Duros, Devaronian, Dowutin, Nimbanel, Delphidian, Klatooinian, Ishi Tib, Twi'lek, Pau'an, Kyuzo, Human, Kubaz, Dressellian, Crolute, Yarkora, Sullustan, Chagrian. And there were many, many idioms used that referenced various non-sentient creatures from all across canon as well!
-Sauweceran tea is a warm beverage and iced mocoa is a brown, foamy beverage.
-"The Spice Runners of Kijimi pulled of a massive heist on Kellgar Seven, on the fringes of the Outer Rim."
-The Spice Runners of Kijimi group that Poe ends up working with had killed their pilot, the Ishi Tib Beke Mon'z, right before meeting Poe because he had been caught skimming off the top--turns out in reality he was an agent for the NRSB.
-"Moraysi was a mining system on the edge of the Outer Rim, populated by a race of tan, stout humanoids who were known for their shipbuilding and inventiveness--but also an ability to actualize the schematics." They had found themselves enslaved in all but name by groups such as the Pykes for several generations.
-The lyaer'tsa is a traditional Twi'lek "weapon equipped with a vibroblade at one end." The zhaboka was a traditional Zabrak weapon.
-The Marimkes Mountains are "the only notable landmark on the veritable wasteland that was the planet Elkeenar of the Penagosis system".
-Ankot Station was located on the inner fringe of the Outer Rim and was "once a highly trafficked base for the Galactic Empire." "It had fallen under the thrall of various spice-running gangs before being taken over formally by the New Republic. But the control was in name only."
-New species ALERT: Fiumarian--"pale, pinkish complexion, pupilless eyes, and a long, sloping forehead." "ability to remain neutral during even the most heated negotiations" AND Gordelian--green, lazy, rarely seen away from their homeworld
-Alfris Sotin was "a noted smuggler" and a Fiumarian who dealt in slaves of all species. His ship was the Vondel.
-A class of ships used by enforcers for the Osako space pirates were the Karura-class ship.
-Legend says that the "Letters of Where and When" carve "out the best, most effective smuggling routes in the galaxy, the kind of paths that couldn't be weathered even by time and technology." The warlord Smaatku, "a large, bloated, and slow-moving green-skinned Gordelian who hailed from the Nishmar system on the fringes of the Unknown Regions" possessed the letters.
-The planet Guat'a is "a barren, dank rock known mainly as a hub of chaos and bloodshed."
-The Torch Nebula was a dangerous part of space, "far from a random space anomaly. Also known as the Torch sector, the nebula was a massive part of the territories populating the Outer Rim. It was so large that on a given night, you could spot it from the surface of nearby planets, like Guat'a and Shownar, creating a fireworks display of colorful lights."
-A couple of smuggling routes include the Llanic Spice Run and the Triellus Trade Route.
-The planet Judakann is "a small hunk of rock [...] that could've passed for an asteroid. The surface looked jagged, a dank, inhospitable mess." Lurkers were a fierce native predator, "Some spat a highly acidic liquid from their mouths, which caused painful, deep burns. Others had sharp, jagged teeth capable of tearing through most anything."
-Kijimi City "rested atop a plateau tucked next to the massive Mount Izukika, where the [Dai Bendu] Monastery could be found." As for the planet itself, "There was no central government or ruling body in Kijimi, which was--for all intents and purposes--an anarchy that had achieved some level of social stability, as everyone's own criminal self-interests kept the civilization afloat." "It was a thieves' planet run by thieves' rules, where anything went as long as you stole it fairly--which was a moving target, in and of itself."
-Various smugglers and ne'er do wells: BoShek--"a human Corellian thief," Alugomes--a "grumpy Iakaru spice dealer," Caryn--"a human smuggler and fence," Woan Barso--a pirate and refugee, Sarb Iltage--an Abednedo, Astrid Fenris--a human smuggler, Adlerber--"a slinking, skittish Arconan dealer," Monigallgh--Adlerber's Kubaz partner, Vranki the Hutt-remember him from the "Resistance" TV show??, Civian Bain--a Rodian, and Tarand Crowe--a rugged pirate.
-Head of New Republic Intelligence is Tolo Mandah.
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So, I greatly enjoyed this book. While the scene in The Rise of Skywalker on Kijimi could have painted the picture that Poe was a long-time, fully-in-it spice runner, this book shows that is definitely NOT the case. He's a confused, hurt, and frustrated teenager who just wants someone to see him and understand his dreams and desires for his life. His father doesn't so he has to look elsewhere and he finds it, at least temporarily, with the Spice Runners of Kijimi. They acknowledge his exceptional piloting and let him do what he does best and that's a part of his experience with the criminal organization that he loves. The rest of it? Poe is never fully sold on the group and proves that in the last section of the book when he realizes that things have gone way too far for him to stomach the reality he's in any longer. So Poe is still a role model character, maybe even more so now, he's just also more complicated, fleshed out, and real.
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