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The Punch Escrow
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite Science Fiction (2017)"An alt-futuristic hard-science thriller with twists and turns you'll never see coming. I couldn't put it down." —Felicia Day, founder of Geek & SundryIt’s the year 2147. Advancements in nanotechnology have enabled us to control aging. We’ve genetically engineered mosquitoes to feast on carbon fumes instead of blood, ending air pollution. And teleportation has become the ideal mode of transportation, offered exclusively by International Transport—a secretive firm headquartered in New York City. Their Departure... Arrival... Delight! Joel Byram, our smartass protagonist, is an everyday twenty-fifth century guy. He spends his days training artificial-intelligence engines to act more human, jamming out to 1980’s new wave—an extremely obscure genre, and trying to salvage his deteriorating marriage. Joel is pretty much an everyday guy with everyday problems—until he’s accidentally duplicated while teleporting. Now Joel must outsmart the shadowy organization that controls teleportation, outrun the religious sect out to destroy it, and find a way to get back to the woman he loves in a world that now has two of him.
333 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 25, 2017
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July 27, 2017
Fiction can do quite a lot of things, but most often it aims to entertain or to express ambitious ideas. Great authors do both of those things brilliantly and produce great works, but great authors are few and far between. Good authors tend to excel at one of those aims to the detriment of the other, or excel adequately enough at both to find artistic and/or commercial success. I can forgive an entertaining novel for lacking ambition. I can forgive an ambitious novel for falling a little short of its goals. But I have no patience for a novel that fails spectacularly and aggressively at both. Those are just bad books.
Wherever you see a “high average” book on Amazon or Goodreads (such as this one – a 4.13/5 on GR at the time of my writing this) and you scroll through the reviews, there is always a least one prick among the 4 and 5 star gushers who has to poop in the punch bowl. Truly I tell you, I am almost never that guy. I can count the number of 1 star reviews I’ve written on one hand, with room to spare. 2 stars are a little more common, but not by much. More often than not, if I’m not as high on a book that everyone else loves, there are at least enough redeeming qualities to warrant a third star. So I promise you, if you see a lone star at the top of one of my reviews, there is some really intense dissatisfaction in play. In fact, my dislike for this novel is so intense that I am actually considering adding a second star to at least one of my other 1 star reviews out of fairness. I’m probably not going to do it, but I am thinking about it.
Teleportation – a longtime staple of the science fiction genre that is nonetheless ripe for further exploration – is the subject of The Punch Escrow. Set in the year 2147, Joel Byram is the husband of one of the leading scientists in teleportation technology. While teleporting to Costa Rica to meet his wife for a second honeymoon, a terrorist attack on the facility leaves him in limbo, causing his wife to panic and create a duplicate of him, not knowing that the “original” Joel rematerialized at the embarkation point. It’s not a bad setup for the story, but what follows doesn’t do it any justice. The plot is so thin that if you removed all the asides and digressions and info dumping and pointlessly elongated dialogue exchanges you would barely be left with a short story.
But plot development is the least of this novel’s problems. Fiction lives and dies by its characters, and The Punch Escrow has none to speak of. Don’t get me wrong, there are human-like entities present, all of whom have jobs and backstories and use language to communicate with each other, but the novel mistakes these basic descriptive requirements and behavioral traits for actual character development. Their sole reason for existing seems to be to dispense either snark or plot information. Joel is the protagonist, I guess, because he does both. Character choices and responses are obvious and predictable. I find it unfortunate that a novel positing that technology can reduce human beings to nothing more than exchangeable bits of information fails to depict a single recognizably human character as a counterpoint.
The setting feels just as inorganic and contrived as the characters, as if the author plugged some data into a random science fiction future generator and this was the result. In terms of theme, the novel seems to mistake presenting the implications of its premise for actually exploring those implications. I can’t fault the novel for failing to live up to its ambitions when it clearly doesn’t even know what it means to try. Mr. Klein’s prose has that really distracting, hyperactive attention deficit style that is becoming more and more popular among new writers (and readers) of genre fiction, a trend that portends no less than the death of the art form.
In short, beyond a handful of clever quips and an interesting scientific nugget here and there, I can’t find much of anything to redeem this novel.
You’re going to love it!
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC.
Wherever you see a “high average” book on Amazon or Goodreads (such as this one – a 4.13/5 on GR at the time of my writing this) and you scroll through the reviews, there is always a least one prick among the 4 and 5 star gushers who has to poop in the punch bowl. Truly I tell you, I am almost never that guy. I can count the number of 1 star reviews I’ve written on one hand, with room to spare. 2 stars are a little more common, but not by much. More often than not, if I’m not as high on a book that everyone else loves, there are at least enough redeeming qualities to warrant a third star. So I promise you, if you see a lone star at the top of one of my reviews, there is some really intense dissatisfaction in play. In fact, my dislike for this novel is so intense that I am actually considering adding a second star to at least one of my other 1 star reviews out of fairness. I’m probably not going to do it, but I am thinking about it.
Teleportation – a longtime staple of the science fiction genre that is nonetheless ripe for further exploration – is the subject of The Punch Escrow. Set in the year 2147, Joel Byram is the husband of one of the leading scientists in teleportation technology. While teleporting to Costa Rica to meet his wife for a second honeymoon, a terrorist attack on the facility leaves him in limbo, causing his wife to panic and create a duplicate of him, not knowing that the “original” Joel rematerialized at the embarkation point. It’s not a bad setup for the story, but what follows doesn’t do it any justice. The plot is so thin that if you removed all the asides and digressions and info dumping and pointlessly elongated dialogue exchanges you would barely be left with a short story.
But plot development is the least of this novel’s problems. Fiction lives and dies by its characters, and The Punch Escrow has none to speak of. Don’t get me wrong, there are human-like entities present, all of whom have jobs and backstories and use language to communicate with each other, but the novel mistakes these basic descriptive requirements and behavioral traits for actual character development. Their sole reason for existing seems to be to dispense either snark or plot information. Joel is the protagonist, I guess, because he does both. Character choices and responses are obvious and predictable. I find it unfortunate that a novel positing that technology can reduce human beings to nothing more than exchangeable bits of information fails to depict a single recognizably human character as a counterpoint.
The setting feels just as inorganic and contrived as the characters, as if the author plugged some data into a random science fiction future generator and this was the result. In terms of theme, the novel seems to mistake presenting the implications of its premise for actually exploring those implications. I can’t fault the novel for failing to live up to its ambitions when it clearly doesn’t even know what it means to try. Mr. Klein’s prose has that really distracting, hyperactive attention deficit style that is becoming more and more popular among new writers (and readers) of genre fiction, a trend that portends no less than the death of the art form.
In short, beyond a handful of clever quips and an interesting scientific nugget here and there, I can’t find much of anything to redeem this novel.
You’re going to love it!
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC.
July 25, 2017
5 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum https://bibliosanctum.com/2017/07/25/...
Everyone, prepare to have your minds blown because The Punch Escrow will be like nothing else you’ve ever seen. It does, however, have all the makings of a runaway hit which will no doubt strike a chord with a broad range of readers, reaching even those who might not normally read sci-fi. Just think about books like The Martian, Ready Player One, Dark Matter, or any other examples of hard science fiction that has achieved widespread popularity due to the fact they are not only clever and technological, but also a lot of fun. This is the successful formula Tal M. Klein has managed to capture and apply to his phenomenal debut.
The story opens in the year 2147, in a world completely altered by technological advancements and their implementation. Still, there are some things that never change, like the fundamental human need to connect with others and conquer the physical distances between ourselves, leading to continuous research and development to find newer, better ways to make travel from point A to point B as fast and efficient as possible. A corporation called International Transport believes it has found the answer. While the technology that makes teleportation possible has already been around for decades, it was IT that finally turned it into the ideal mode of transportation for human beings, making it viable, affordable, and, above all else, safe. Or so they say, anyway.
Enter Joel Byram, our protagonist. He’s a typical average guy who likes to play video games in his underwear, collect random trivia, and listen to obscure 1980s new wave music in his spare time. He’s also dealing with some problems in his marriage. Ever since Joel’s wife Sylvia got her promotion at IT, she has been preoccupied with one classified project after another, and the secretive nature of her work along with the increased hours have made the two of them drift apart. All that was supposed to change with the couple’s plans for a second honeymoon in celebration of their tenth anniversary, a romantic week where they’ll have each other all to themselves in the remote mountains of Costa Rica. Unfortunately though, while at the New York City teleportation center on his way to meet up with his wife in San Jose, Joel suffers a terrible mishap. The incident results in Joel being duplicated, raising some serious questions about the truth behind teleportation—questions that certain parties will go to great lengths to silence.
As I said before, The Punch Escrow is like nothing else I’ve read before, which makes the story difficult to describe beyond what I’ve written above. I’m also nervous to reveal too much, because I would be loath to spoil anything for prospective readers. This is a book full of amazing surprises, and it’s really no exaggeration to say that it’s best to go in with fresh eyes, knowing as little as possible about the plot.
I can, however, extol the awesomeness of safer subjects, like the world-building. Brace yourself for some really cool stuff. Klein has created a futuristic society here that is extraordinary in its originality and carefully considered approach, which is probably why the setting also seems so believable despite some of its more bizarre features. Humanity’s salvation has come in the form of the mosquito, for example, after genetic tinkering has effectively turned these hateful little bloodsuckers into tiny steam reformers, feasting on carbon fumes while excreting water. Didn’t I tell you this book was fun? I mean, how could I not laugh out loud at the author’s descriptions of the gorgeous twenty-second century NYC sunsets, made possible only by the ubiquitous misty clouds of skeeter piss? Massive changes have also occurred to political systems worldwide, with transnational mega-corporations governing at the helm and capitalism reigning supreme. While poverty has effectively been eliminated, money still talks, and with enough chits at your disposal, you can do things like pay other self-driving cars to prioritize your arrival if you need to get some place fast, or even buy anti-aging treatments to extend your life for as many years as you can afford.
But if you’re worried that the hard sci-fi elements will become too heavy or overwhelming, fear not! While there’s a lot of techno-jargon in this story, as well as—I won’t lie—a significant amount of quantum theory involved, much of it is presented in an engaging, entertaining and often humorous way. I even devoured the very technical footnotes, which is huge for me because 1) I hate footnotes, and 2) the ones here are theoretically optional. So trust me, if a total quantum physics noob like me can read this book and enjoy the heck out of it, then anyone can.
Bottom line though, if all my gushing so far has felt as random to you as it has for me, here’s what it all boils down to: The Punch Escrow is one of those wholly unique, mind-bogglingly innovative novels that only come once in a blue moon. The story (which I’m just dying to say more about but can’t) is extremely fun, fast-paced, and thrilling, yet there’s also a deeper, tender side to our protagonist’s existential journey and moments where he experiences meaningful philosophical reverie. There are also ideas in this book that are so incredible that every few pages I simply had to stop and marvel over a sentence or passage, speechless at the sheer imagination. Seriously, short of begging, I really don’t know what more I need to say in order to convince you to read this book.
Oh, what the hell. Please, please, please, just go and check it out now, please!
Everyone, prepare to have your minds blown because The Punch Escrow will be like nothing else you’ve ever seen. It does, however, have all the makings of a runaway hit which will no doubt strike a chord with a broad range of readers, reaching even those who might not normally read sci-fi. Just think about books like The Martian, Ready Player One, Dark Matter, or any other examples of hard science fiction that has achieved widespread popularity due to the fact they are not only clever and technological, but also a lot of fun. This is the successful formula Tal M. Klein has managed to capture and apply to his phenomenal debut.
The story opens in the year 2147, in a world completely altered by technological advancements and their implementation. Still, there are some things that never change, like the fundamental human need to connect with others and conquer the physical distances between ourselves, leading to continuous research and development to find newer, better ways to make travel from point A to point B as fast and efficient as possible. A corporation called International Transport believes it has found the answer. While the technology that makes teleportation possible has already been around for decades, it was IT that finally turned it into the ideal mode of transportation for human beings, making it viable, affordable, and, above all else, safe. Or so they say, anyway.
Enter Joel Byram, our protagonist. He’s a typical average guy who likes to play video games in his underwear, collect random trivia, and listen to obscure 1980s new wave music in his spare time. He’s also dealing with some problems in his marriage. Ever since Joel’s wife Sylvia got her promotion at IT, she has been preoccupied with one classified project after another, and the secretive nature of her work along with the increased hours have made the two of them drift apart. All that was supposed to change with the couple’s plans for a second honeymoon in celebration of their tenth anniversary, a romantic week where they’ll have each other all to themselves in the remote mountains of Costa Rica. Unfortunately though, while at the New York City teleportation center on his way to meet up with his wife in San Jose, Joel suffers a terrible mishap. The incident results in Joel being duplicated, raising some serious questions about the truth behind teleportation—questions that certain parties will go to great lengths to silence.
As I said before, The Punch Escrow is like nothing else I’ve read before, which makes the story difficult to describe beyond what I’ve written above. I’m also nervous to reveal too much, because I would be loath to spoil anything for prospective readers. This is a book full of amazing surprises, and it’s really no exaggeration to say that it’s best to go in with fresh eyes, knowing as little as possible about the plot.
I can, however, extol the awesomeness of safer subjects, like the world-building. Brace yourself for some really cool stuff. Klein has created a futuristic society here that is extraordinary in its originality and carefully considered approach, which is probably why the setting also seems so believable despite some of its more bizarre features. Humanity’s salvation has come in the form of the mosquito, for example, after genetic tinkering has effectively turned these hateful little bloodsuckers into tiny steam reformers, feasting on carbon fumes while excreting water. Didn’t I tell you this book was fun? I mean, how could I not laugh out loud at the author’s descriptions of the gorgeous twenty-second century NYC sunsets, made possible only by the ubiquitous misty clouds of skeeter piss? Massive changes have also occurred to political systems worldwide, with transnational mega-corporations governing at the helm and capitalism reigning supreme. While poverty has effectively been eliminated, money still talks, and with enough chits at your disposal, you can do things like pay other self-driving cars to prioritize your arrival if you need to get some place fast, or even buy anti-aging treatments to extend your life for as many years as you can afford.
But if you’re worried that the hard sci-fi elements will become too heavy or overwhelming, fear not! While there’s a lot of techno-jargon in this story, as well as—I won’t lie—a significant amount of quantum theory involved, much of it is presented in an engaging, entertaining and often humorous way. I even devoured the very technical footnotes, which is huge for me because 1) I hate footnotes, and 2) the ones here are theoretically optional. So trust me, if a total quantum physics noob like me can read this book and enjoy the heck out of it, then anyone can.
Bottom line though, if all my gushing so far has felt as random to you as it has for me, here’s what it all boils down to: The Punch Escrow is one of those wholly unique, mind-bogglingly innovative novels that only come once in a blue moon. The story (which I’m just dying to say more about but can’t) is extremely fun, fast-paced, and thrilling, yet there’s also a deeper, tender side to our protagonist’s existential journey and moments where he experiences meaningful philosophical reverie. There are also ideas in this book that are so incredible that every few pages I simply had to stop and marvel over a sentence or passage, speechless at the sheer imagination. Seriously, short of begging, I really don’t know what more I need to say in order to convince you to read this book.
Oh, what the hell. Please, please, please, just go and check it out now, please!
January 11, 2018
I received a free copy from the author for review.
Anyone who has ever endured a long car ride or had to cool their heels at an airport because of a flight delay has wished that we had the technology to just teleport people from place to place like they did on Star Trek. After reading this they’d be more hesitant to step up on the transporter pad.
It’s the 22nd century and the world now relies on technology like teleportation. People and goods can be shifted anywhere on Earth in the blink of an eye. Joel Byram is a guy who spends most of his time playing video games and waiting for his more successful wife Sylvia to come home. Sylvia is an engineer for the company that controls the teleportation technology, but her long hours and company secrets are taking a toll on their marriage.
Joel is the victim of an accident while teleporting to meet Sylvia, and the result is that there are now two Joels in the world. This threatens to expose a horrible secret at the heart of the teleportation industry, and both Joels find themselves on the run from a corporation more powerful than any government as they try to save themselves and Sylvia.
This one is a bit of a mixed bag. It had a lot of things I liked very much from well thought out world building that creates a society based on future tech that seems logical and real. There’s also a bit of real science and physics mixed in so that it doesn’t seem like hand waving nonsense, and the writing has a nice style to it that walks the line between making it too deep to be fun but not treating the reader like an idiot either.
However, it’s got several things that irked me and dragged it down to the three star level. First, it’s got an underachieving smart-ass protagonist who we’re supposed to root for just because he’s not outright evil, and I’m just tired of that trope. Add in the fact that he’s got an attractive wife who is way smarter than him so it’s just like a million sitcoms and Adam Sandler movies that is supposed to appeal to that male geek wish fulfillment that it’s possible to outkick your coverage and snag a hot wife with a great job just by being a charming slacker while not having to change in any way or show any ambition of your own.
This plays right into the second thing that I didn’t like because I’m not a fan of vast conspiracy stories that have a hapless hero who doesn’t actually have any skills or knowledge that move the plot forward. Yes, Joel is able to do a form of hacking on apps because his job is teaching AIs how to think creatively, but he accomplishes this by just being a smart ass to machines so again that’s not anything that makes me think he should be able to survive this.
Instead Joel is just bounced from situation to situation where people then tell him what’s going on. He has no real agency of his own, and he also does another thing I hate which is to just react repeatedly with extreme emotion and no rational thinking. Yeah, your wife is in danger, but just running around like a maniac with no ideas of what’s going on or how to get her back just reinforces that he’s a simple baby man who charges in blindly and should be killed about twenty times over yet somehow he muddles through.
There’s also some unnecessary ‘80s nostalgia laced through with Joel’s love of old pop songs. It didn’t add anything other than trying to tap into the Ready Player One trend. I also wasn’t a huge fan of the very end, and the main secret at the heart of the book is a concept I’ve seen other places so it doesn’t seem as shocking or original as it should.
Despite these reservations I still kinda liked this book. That’s because it does have some genuinely clever stuff in it, and the writing was good enough to make Joel a sympathetic hero even if he’s pretty much everything I hate in a lead character these days. All in all it’s a solid debut sci-fi novel, and I’ll be interested to see what else Tal Klein comes up with.
Anyone who has ever endured a long car ride or had to cool their heels at an airport because of a flight delay has wished that we had the technology to just teleport people from place to place like they did on Star Trek. After reading this they’d be more hesitant to step up on the transporter pad.
It’s the 22nd century and the world now relies on technology like teleportation. People and goods can be shifted anywhere on Earth in the blink of an eye. Joel Byram is a guy who spends most of his time playing video games and waiting for his more successful wife Sylvia to come home. Sylvia is an engineer for the company that controls the teleportation technology, but her long hours and company secrets are taking a toll on their marriage.
Joel is the victim of an accident while teleporting to meet Sylvia, and the result is that there are now two Joels in the world. This threatens to expose a horrible secret at the heart of the teleportation industry, and both Joels find themselves on the run from a corporation more powerful than any government as they try to save themselves and Sylvia.
This one is a bit of a mixed bag. It had a lot of things I liked very much from well thought out world building that creates a society based on future tech that seems logical and real. There’s also a bit of real science and physics mixed in so that it doesn’t seem like hand waving nonsense, and the writing has a nice style to it that walks the line between making it too deep to be fun but not treating the reader like an idiot either.
However, it’s got several things that irked me and dragged it down to the three star level. First, it’s got an underachieving smart-ass protagonist who we’re supposed to root for just because he’s not outright evil, and I’m just tired of that trope. Add in the fact that he’s got an attractive wife who is way smarter than him so it’s just like a million sitcoms and Adam Sandler movies that is supposed to appeal to that male geek wish fulfillment that it’s possible to outkick your coverage and snag a hot wife with a great job just by being a charming slacker while not having to change in any way or show any ambition of your own.
This plays right into the second thing that I didn’t like because I’m not a fan of vast conspiracy stories that have a hapless hero who doesn’t actually have any skills or knowledge that move the plot forward. Yes, Joel is able to do a form of hacking on apps because his job is teaching AIs how to think creatively, but he accomplishes this by just being a smart ass to machines so again that’s not anything that makes me think he should be able to survive this.
Instead Joel is just bounced from situation to situation where people then tell him what’s going on. He has no real agency of his own, and he also does another thing I hate which is to just react repeatedly with extreme emotion and no rational thinking. Yeah, your wife is in danger, but just running around like a maniac with no ideas of what’s going on or how to get her back just reinforces that he’s a simple baby man who charges in blindly and should be killed about twenty times over yet somehow he muddles through.
There’s also some unnecessary ‘80s nostalgia laced through with Joel’s love of old pop songs. It didn’t add anything other than trying to tap into the Ready Player One trend. I also wasn’t a huge fan of the very end, and the main secret at the heart of the book is a concept I’ve seen other places so it doesn’t seem as shocking or original as it should.
Despite these reservations I still kinda liked this book. That’s because it does have some genuinely clever stuff in it, and the writing was good enough to make Joel a sympathetic hero even if he’s pretty much everything I hate in a lead character these days. All in all it’s a solid debut sci-fi novel, and I’ll be interested to see what else Tal Klein comes up with.
May 24, 2017
Thanks to Netgalley for this ARC!
And a very special thanks to the author for writing Hard-SF in a really fun and engaging way. This is often much harder than it might seem at a casual glance.
Fortunately, the light tone and the clear explanations of the science prevailed and served only to propel the story forward. And what kind of story is it? It's a fast-paced thriller! And no, before you ask, this isn't a clone of Dark Matter. Far from it. We're dealing with a better version of Star Trek's transporter problem from a quantum entanglement viewpoint, and far from getting bogged down in an introductory reading of such a story, (which has been done a lot), we jump right ahead into the social and technological implications of a society that has come to accept it and the actuarial realities of checksumming your torrented self across great distances. How boring, right? But boring gets people moving, and moving, and moving... aaaand ... I really shouldn't spoil this, but all the cool stuff happens after the poop hits the fan from after this point.
Copy, paste, delete. We know the concept. No problem. Now skip the last step. Hello, me! :)
The author carries two PoV's wonderfully and keeps it light even when really bad things are happening. I loved it, from the marital problems to the chase, the ambulance, the AI, the conspiracy, the nutjobs AND the nutjobs, and of course, arguing with yourself. :) I like to think that I wouldn't have any such problems with myself, but let's be realistic here. A perfect teleportation clone is going to be competing with your resources right off the bat. There's a lot of real conflicts right there.
So, bravo! for keeping it real.
This was a very nice surprise. I asked for this one just on a whim and I am very pleased I did. I totally recommend this for all kinds of clone-fans who love thrillers. This one happens to be a lot better than most and I can say it feels rather more original than most. PLUS! It has the benefit of sticking close to real science to the best of our current understanding!
The same goes for all the multitudes of the great little idea-gems we visit in this future world. The carbon-sucking mosquitos are a delight. So are the self-driving cars that alert each other on emergency channels whenever some monkey is taking the wheel. :) Scary. :)
And a very special thanks to the author for writing Hard-SF in a really fun and engaging way. This is often much harder than it might seem at a casual glance.
Fortunately, the light tone and the clear explanations of the science prevailed and served only to propel the story forward. And what kind of story is it? It's a fast-paced thriller! And no, before you ask, this isn't a clone of Dark Matter. Far from it. We're dealing with a better version of Star Trek's transporter problem from a quantum entanglement viewpoint, and far from getting bogged down in an introductory reading of such a story, (which has been done a lot), we jump right ahead into the social and technological implications of a society that has come to accept it and the actuarial realities of checksumming your torrented self across great distances. How boring, right? But boring gets people moving, and moving, and moving... aaaand ... I really shouldn't spoil this, but all the cool stuff happens after the poop hits the fan from after this point.
Copy, paste, delete. We know the concept. No problem. Now skip the last step. Hello, me! :)
The author carries two PoV's wonderfully and keeps it light even when really bad things are happening. I loved it, from the marital problems to the chase, the ambulance, the AI, the conspiracy, the nutjobs AND the nutjobs, and of course, arguing with yourself. :) I like to think that I wouldn't have any such problems with myself, but let's be realistic here. A perfect teleportation clone is going to be competing with your resources right off the bat. There's a lot of real conflicts right there.
So, bravo! for keeping it real.
This was a very nice surprise. I asked for this one just on a whim and I am very pleased I did. I totally recommend this for all kinds of clone-fans who love thrillers. This one happens to be a lot better than most and I can say it feels rather more original than most. PLUS! It has the benefit of sticking close to real science to the best of our current understanding!
The same goes for all the multitudes of the great little idea-gems we visit in this future world. The carbon-sucking mosquitos are a delight. So are the self-driving cars that alert each other on emergency channels whenever some monkey is taking the wheel. :) Scary. :)
October 8, 2017
★★★★★ 5 SHINING stars
I still feel sad that I haven't posted a review right after I read it, but life severely got in the way, and there's also that whole 5 star book review anxiety thing. It was just so good, I believe I won't be able to write a good enough review for it.
Can I just tell you that:
★ this book was amazing
★ you must absolutely read it
★there is no other way but for you to read it
And be done with it..? No......?
(You can also read this post on my blog.)
Then let me give you a little bit of background first. First of all, it's hard to put this in the scifi box... Let's just call it future-speculative-fiction. No space, okay?
As for what happens, our main character Joel is a... happy-go-lucky guy, so you could say. He isn't too responsible, too concerned about things. He works when needed, but other than that he calls himself a "breadloser", because it's his wife who earns in his family. And although it seems his life should be easy, he is concerned about the growing rift in his marriage. So just as he's about to join her on their second honeymoon... His teleportation fails (did I mention Joel lives in the future..?) and he suffers a terrorist attack, as a result of which... He finds himself with a double, being chased by the equivalent of the government and abandoned by his oblivious wife. Yes, there's a lot of action. Yes, there's speculation too. And there's philosophy.
Technically speaking, this book has all you could ever want. That's certainly how I felt reading it.
I actually buddy-read this one with a friend, and he has provided questions for my review (as I have for him). So here are his questions!
What did you like most about the book?
Truly, it's hard to say! I loved everything about it. It has great dynamics, Joel is a wonderful main character! He's spunky, witty and imperfect. He will make you laugh even at the most dire of situations, or even when your heart breaks (and it does break in this story.) Other than that, I loved that the writing is sort of a mix between Ben Aaronovitch (Rivers of London) and Matt Wallace (Sin du Jour) . It's entertainment at its best! And yet, despite that, it's also deep and touching where it needs to be. I simply couldn't put it down.
What in the book did you not like, or what gave you pause?
Zip. Nada. Nothing! I can confidently say I loved everything!
What technology from the book do you wish was available for use right now?
The basis of all of everything in The Punch Escrow is this wonderfully amazing thing that has been discovered, and it is called... Quantum Foam! Basically, with the right machine, you can print... anything. Your coffee cup. That perfect pizza from Friday night. A new car.
I would be silly if I didn't think that was awesome! Think of all the cooking nobody would have to do. (Think of all the cake we could eat...)
What technology from the book do you wish never becomes real?
I couldn't say I have anything against the technology in the book (even teleportation, despite how it's portrayed!) But I was quite terrified of the power of technology – basically the fact that corporations overpowered the government and became it, and the ones that owned technology, owned... pretty much everything else. (That part of the book is quite dystopian, BTW.) That could very well happen. So while my answer isn't quite about technology, that is NOT something I'd like to witness happening.
What would you do/how would you react to meeting your doppelganger?
Oh my gosh, I would be super curious! Maybe I'd finally see myself from the side andstop thinking that I look fat / ugly / my hair looks stupid understand that I'm like any other normal person?? Also? I'd really like to hear my voice in reality, but not through a microphone. Do you know that way your voice sounds incredibly stupid when it's recorded?..
Can it, Janice.
Assuming teleportation works like in the book, and also assuming you know the truth about it, would you teleport?
Spoiler territory, but
What book is next on your reading list?
I have received this book through NetGalley in exchange to my honest review and I'm greatly thankful to Inkshares/Geek & Sundry and Tal M. Klein for giving me a chance to read this wonderful gem!
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I still feel sad that I haven't posted a review right after I read it, but life severely got in the way, and there's also that whole 5 star book review anxiety thing. It was just so good, I believe I won't be able to write a good enough review for it.
Can I just tell you that:
★ this book was amazing
★ you must absolutely read it
★
And be done with it..? No......?
(You can also read this post on my blog.)
Then let me give you a little bit of background first. First of all, it's hard to put this in the scifi box... Let's just call it future-speculative-fiction. No space, okay?
As for what happens, our main character Joel is a... happy-go-lucky guy, so you could say. He isn't too responsible, too concerned about things. He works when needed, but other than that he calls himself a "breadloser", because it's his wife who earns in his family. And although it seems his life should be easy, he is concerned about the growing rift in his marriage. So just as he's about to join her on their second honeymoon... His teleportation fails (did I mention Joel lives in the future..?) and he suffers a terrorist attack, as a result of which... He finds himself with a double, being chased by the equivalent of the government and abandoned by his oblivious wife. Yes, there's a lot of action. Yes, there's speculation too. And there's philosophy.
Technically speaking, this book has all you could ever want. That's certainly how I felt reading it.
I actually buddy-read this one with a friend, and he has provided questions for my review (as I have for him). So here are his questions!
What did you like most about the book?
Truly, it's hard to say! I loved everything about it. It has great dynamics, Joel is a wonderful main character! He's spunky, witty and imperfect. He will make you laugh even at the most dire of situations, or even when your heart breaks (and it does break in this story.) Other than that, I loved that the writing is sort of a mix between Ben Aaronovitch (Rivers of London) and Matt Wallace (Sin du Jour) . It's entertainment at its best! And yet, despite that, it's also deep and touching where it needs to be. I simply couldn't put it down.
What in the book did you not like, or what gave you pause?
Zip. Nada. Nothing! I can confidently say I loved everything!
What technology from the book do you wish was available for use right now?
The basis of all of everything in The Punch Escrow is this wonderfully amazing thing that has been discovered, and it is called... Quantum Foam! Basically, with the right machine, you can print... anything. Your coffee cup. That perfect pizza from Friday night. A new car.
I would be silly if I didn't think that was awesome! Think of all the cooking nobody would have to do. (Think of all the cake we could eat...)
What technology from the book do you wish never becomes real?
I couldn't say I have anything against the technology in the book (even teleportation, despite how it's portrayed!) But I was quite terrified of the power of technology – basically the fact that corporations overpowered the government and became it, and the ones that owned technology, owned... pretty much everything else. (That part of the book is quite dystopian, BTW.) That could very well happen. So while my answer isn't quite about technology, that is NOT something I'd like to witness happening.
What would you do/how would you react to meeting your doppelganger?
Oh my gosh, I would be super curious! Maybe I'd finally see myself from the side and
Can it, Janice.
Assuming teleportation works like in the book, and also assuming you know the truth about it, would you teleport?
Spoiler territory, but
What book is next on your reading list?
I have received this book through NetGalley in exchange to my honest review and I'm greatly thankful to Inkshares/Geek & Sundry and Tal M. Klein for giving me a chance to read this wonderful gem!
Read Post On My Blog | My Bookstagram | Bookish Twitter
November 29, 2017
Urgh, this book annoyed the hell out of me.
It started off really well and I was thoroughly enjoying it, it was funny and weird and sarcastic and sciency and all those good things. Character development seemed to be off to a good start and the plot was starting to take form. I'll admit. I got a bit excited. Teleportation gone wrong! Mosquitoes gene-tweaked to metabolise pollution into water! Semi sentient apps and such! Sounds pretty cool right? SO, I was quite merrily reading away, snacks close to hand....
Then.
Overly long and tedious explanations of E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G. And if that wasn't bad enough (and it was, really, really bad) there were footnotes attached to the overly long and tedious explanations of E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G. And the footnotes were also EXTREMELY LONG AND OVERLY TEDIOUS!One footnote went on for a page and a half... a FOOTNOTE! This went on for an insanely long time. If anything even remotely technical came up, I was almost too scared to look for fear of being bludgeoned to death with unnecessary details. Hello? I'm not 3, I know the cow says 'moo', and I'm utterly disinterested in the mechanics of WHY the cow says moo (sorry for the crappy metaphor, Its ridiculously hot here and I'm pretty sure my brain is liquefying)
I mean, you may enjoy reading 5 pages about cloning a Big Mac, but I was bored shitless ('scuse me). If you ever want to get out of a bad date, read them the footnotes. They will either fall asleep so you can sneak out undetected, or run screaming for the hills.
The, characters that, to begin with, were quite engaging, quickly became annoying. The main character was... a jerk, for lack of a better word. I really wanted to stab him with a fork several times throughout the story. Don't get me started on the wife, the author didn't bother to develop her any more than was absolutely necessary. There's a mad scientist in there too but his character development was so nonexistent I didn't even realise it until the last 5 pages. (That may have something to do with the aforementioned brain liquefaction, and the fact I was SO bored by the end I stopped paying attention.)
Did I mention the OVERLY LONG AND TEDIOUS EXPLANATIONS, AND CONSEQUENT OVERLY LONG AND TEDIOUS FOOTNOTES? Just checking!
The plot fizzled out in record time, ptttttttzzzzzzzzzz. Dead end. Holes big enough to drive an automated ambulance through. Actually, come to think of it, the ambulance was the only character I liked. Yes, that's right folks, talking ambulances.
The science was unconvincing, despite the OVERLY LONG AND TEDIOUS EXPLANATIONS (+ footnotes). It felt like the author was trying to batter the science into you, and if you didn't get it the first time, yep, you got it OVERLY LONG AND TEDIOUS EXPLANATIONS (+FOOTNOTES). See where I'm going with this?
Then there was religion. This usually doesn't bother me, I'm totally cool with religion, but I felt it was only in there to give this story a reason to even exist. It felt like it was just slapped over the plot holes with a "that'll do" mentality.
I dunno. If you like your hand being held whilst reading science fiction you may enjoy this. I, personally, felt it was poorly executed, and I'm utterly disappointed with it. Which is a shame, as it was a super cool idea and could have been brilliant.
2/5 stars because the cover art is awesome and mosquito piss is entertaining.
*** I was going to add my own footnotes but felt that would just be cruel. You should all send me flowers in gratitude.
It started off really well and I was thoroughly enjoying it, it was funny and weird and sarcastic and sciency and all those good things. Character development seemed to be off to a good start and the plot was starting to take form. I'll admit. I got a bit excited. Teleportation gone wrong! Mosquitoes gene-tweaked to metabolise pollution into water! Semi sentient apps and such! Sounds pretty cool right? SO, I was quite merrily reading away, snacks close to hand....
Then.
Overly long and tedious explanations of E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G. And if that wasn't bad enough (and it was, really, really bad) there were footnotes attached to the overly long and tedious explanations of E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G. And the footnotes were also EXTREMELY LONG AND OVERLY TEDIOUS!One footnote went on for a page and a half... a FOOTNOTE! This went on for an insanely long time. If anything even remotely technical came up, I was almost too scared to look for fear of being bludgeoned to death with unnecessary details. Hello? I'm not 3, I know the cow says 'moo', and I'm utterly disinterested in the mechanics of WHY the cow says moo (sorry for the crappy metaphor, Its ridiculously hot here and I'm pretty sure my brain is liquefying)
I mean, you may enjoy reading 5 pages about cloning a Big Mac, but I was bored shitless ('scuse me). If you ever want to get out of a bad date, read them the footnotes. They will either fall asleep so you can sneak out undetected, or run screaming for the hills.
The, characters that, to begin with, were quite engaging, quickly became annoying. The main character was... a jerk, for lack of a better word. I really wanted to stab him with a fork several times throughout the story. Don't get me started on the wife, the author didn't bother to develop her any more than was absolutely necessary. There's a mad scientist in there too but his character development was so nonexistent I didn't even realise it until the last 5 pages. (That may have something to do with the aforementioned brain liquefaction, and the fact I was SO bored by the end I stopped paying attention.)
Did I mention the OVERLY LONG AND TEDIOUS EXPLANATIONS, AND CONSEQUENT OVERLY LONG AND TEDIOUS FOOTNOTES? Just checking!
The plot fizzled out in record time, ptttttttzzzzzzzzzz. Dead end. Holes big enough to drive an automated ambulance through. Actually, come to think of it, the ambulance was the only character I liked. Yes, that's right folks, talking ambulances.
The science was unconvincing, despite the OVERLY LONG AND TEDIOUS EXPLANATIONS (+ footnotes). It felt like the author was trying to batter the science into you, and if you didn't get it the first time, yep, you got it OVERLY LONG AND TEDIOUS EXPLANATIONS (+FOOTNOTES). See where I'm going with this?
Then there was religion. This usually doesn't bother me, I'm totally cool with religion, but I felt it was only in there to give this story a reason to even exist. It felt like it was just slapped over the plot holes with a "that'll do" mentality.
I dunno. If you like your hand being held whilst reading science fiction you may enjoy this. I, personally, felt it was poorly executed, and I'm utterly disappointed with it. Which is a shame, as it was a super cool idea and could have been brilliant.
2/5 stars because the cover art is awesome and mosquito piss is entertaining.
*** I was going to add my own footnotes but felt that would just be cruel. You should all send me flowers in gratitude.
October 9, 2017
Hard sci-fi mystery thriller told with a flippant humorous voice. Interesting way to give reader a choice via use of annotations: you can skip the annotations and skew the read more towards the sci-fi mystery thriller or you can read them and make it a pretty hard science fiction. I read the annotations and have to admit some of the science flew way over my head. Enjoyed it nevertheless.
Humour plus hard science reminds a bit of Martian, but not quite as funny and feel good. The mystery thriller element and the issues MC is facing remind of Dark Matter, but then time and Pov jumps and aforementioned mind-boggling annotations somewhat break the suspense. So whilst it’s very good it didn’t quite reach the 5* awesome level for me. Still a delicious read.
Sincerely recommend to all sci-fi readers. This level of intelligent that succeeds in being entertaining is a rare find.
Humour plus hard science reminds a bit of Martian, but not quite as funny and feel good. The mystery thriller element and the issues MC is facing remind of Dark Matter, but then time and Pov jumps and aforementioned mind-boggling annotations somewhat break the suspense. So whilst it’s very good it didn’t quite reach the 5* awesome level for me. Still a delicious read.
Sincerely recommend to all sci-fi readers. This level of intelligent that succeeds in being entertaining is a rare find.
September 14, 2017
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I didn't know what to expect from a futuristic hard sci-fi thriller. However I was pleasantly surprised with the good pacing and humor. It is hard to find books that bend genre's in a workable way but this book did. The protagonist Joel's sarcasm and relatable reactions to things balanced out a book that included foot notes on futuristic world history. The world building was fantastic, because every time I wondered how that would actually work, it would be followed by an explanation. The world building read well because the writing was good, it never read like filler or rushed exposition.
The characters in this book include a multi-faceted travel agent, Yoel (Joel's double), an ancient cult leader and a mad scientist. The characters were realistic and flowed together and apart nicely. Joel's epic journey to find himself and survive the people who each want to use him for his own agenda included action, banter and romance. Hard scif-fi does not have to be boring, this book tells a human story in a future world where humans can upgrade themselves into something else entirely.
The short cliff hanger and song titled chapters kept me engaged and made me wish this was a trilogy. I liked the book so much I was able to read a chapter that was left on the editing room floor (thanks Mr. Klein). The use of footnotes was done sparingly, but it would have helped the whole book stay in line with it's hard sci-fi know it all feel, if the author used them throughout. I don't know what the future of teleportation will be, but this gave some really cool imagery and ideas of how it could work. I would recommend this to fans of awesome hard sci-fi thrillers with humor and heart.
I didn't know what to expect from a futuristic hard sci-fi thriller. However I was pleasantly surprised with the good pacing and humor. It is hard to find books that bend genre's in a workable way but this book did. The protagonist Joel's sarcasm and relatable reactions to things balanced out a book that included foot notes on futuristic world history. The world building was fantastic, because every time I wondered how that would actually work, it would be followed by an explanation. The world building read well because the writing was good, it never read like filler or rushed exposition.
The characters in this book include a multi-faceted travel agent, Yoel (Joel's double), an ancient cult leader and a mad scientist. The characters were realistic and flowed together and apart nicely. Joel's epic journey to find himself and survive the people who each want to use him for his own agenda included action, banter and romance. Hard scif-fi does not have to be boring, this book tells a human story in a future world where humans can upgrade themselves into something else entirely.
"Even if I were capable of gauging my state of mind objectively, I could only determine such things in retrospect."
The short cliff hanger and song titled chapters kept me engaged and made me wish this was a trilogy. I liked the book so much I was able to read a chapter that was left on the editing room floor (thanks Mr. Klein). The use of footnotes was done sparingly, but it would have helped the whole book stay in line with it's hard sci-fi know it all feel, if the author used them throughout. I don't know what the future of teleportation will be, but this gave some really cool imagery and ideas of how it could work. I would recommend this to fans of awesome hard sci-fi thrillers with humor and heart.
August 11, 2017
An interesting concept but boy oh boy this is some garbage. It's like the author gives up around half way through. Seemingly desperately trying to ride on the coat tails of the Martian (the science and chatty writing style), Ready Player One (80s references) and Dark Matter (can't really say without including a spoiler for DM), it genuinely was quite entertaining for 150 pages but fell off a cliff after that as it morphed into a very generic action thriller.
December 8, 2019
Okay guys. I'm officially on a roll right now. There's just one very good book after the other, which makes my average rating skyrocketing and me trying to restrain myself from recommending the shit out of my friends. Yes I'm enjoying myself right now.
But this book, THIS BOOK! I think that's the best time I had with any book in 2017.
We got this smart-ass first person narrator Joel here. He's quite a normal guy living in a richly immagined 22nd century New York City, dealing with his everyday problems. Like trying to keep his marriage going, staying awake while playing video games, earning money by salting AIs (don't ask, find out for yourself). He's also trying to figure out why no one is listening to 1980s New Wave anymore (yes, I don't understand that either). Joel is a really funny guy who reminded me of Mark Watney. He's not quite as smart as Mark, but he's still smart enough and also a bit clumsy, which makes for some hilarious moments as well.
Joel is married to a physicist who's working at International Transport. IT is a really powerful company because they control the current form of teleportation. And there's not a lot that's more important to people than getting from A to B as fast as possible to do C as early as possible.
Joel's wife Sylvia is one of the leading physicists at IT and is working on some classified project. That's why they haven't seen each other a lot in the last twelve months.
One day Sylvia is suggesting a holiday in Costa Rica so the both of them can get their marriage back on track.
Only there's this teensie-weensie problem when Joel is trying to teleport to Costa Rica, which happens to get him duplicated and him, his wife and his doppelgänger becoming a plaything of the forces supporting or opposing teleportation. And BAM, off goes this rollercoaster in which Joel is still trying to salvage his marriage. Only this time it's more about until death do us part and stuff. And also he has to deal with his doppelgänger and some really serious questions in the realm of who's the real me.
This book grabbed me by the throat and didn't let go until the last page. And there was a smile on my face all the time. I just so much enjoyed this.
It manages to be thrilling, thought-provoking and amusing all at the same time. There were moments when I was deeply thinking about one paragraph and then the next one just made me laugh out loud. This happened a lot actually.
It's a very fast-paced book with a lot of action and I can totally see why this will be a movie someday in the future. I hope Hollywood doesn't mess this up.
And now readers, go out and read!
But this book, THIS BOOK! I think that's the best time I had with any book in 2017.
We got this smart-ass first person narrator Joel here. He's quite a normal guy living in a richly immagined 22nd century New York City, dealing with his everyday problems. Like trying to keep his marriage going, staying awake while playing video games, earning money by salting AIs (don't ask, find out for yourself). He's also trying to figure out why no one is listening to 1980s New Wave anymore (yes, I don't understand that either). Joel is a really funny guy who reminded me of Mark Watney. He's not quite as smart as Mark, but he's still smart enough and also a bit clumsy, which makes for some hilarious moments as well.
Joel is married to a physicist who's working at International Transport. IT is a really powerful company because they control the current form of teleportation. And there's not a lot that's more important to people than getting from A to B as fast as possible to do C as early as possible.
Joel's wife Sylvia is one of the leading physicists at IT and is working on some classified project. That's why they haven't seen each other a lot in the last twelve months.
One day Sylvia is suggesting a holiday in Costa Rica so the both of them can get their marriage back on track.
Only there's this teensie-weensie problem when Joel is trying to teleport to Costa Rica, which happens to get him duplicated and him, his wife and his doppelgänger becoming a plaything of the forces supporting or opposing teleportation. And BAM, off goes this rollercoaster in which Joel is still trying to salvage his marriage. Only this time it's more about until death do us part and stuff. And also he has to deal with his doppelgänger and some really serious questions in the realm of who's the real me.
This book grabbed me by the throat and didn't let go until the last page. And there was a smile on my face all the time. I just so much enjoyed this.
It manages to be thrilling, thought-provoking and amusing all at the same time. There were moments when I was deeply thinking about one paragraph and then the next one just made me laugh out loud. This happened a lot actually.
It's a very fast-paced book with a lot of action and I can totally see why this will be a movie someday in the future. I hope Hollywood doesn't mess this up.
And now readers, go out and read!
May 20, 2017
I received an e-ARC of this novel through NetGalley and Inkshares Geek & Sundry. Thank you.
This was a wonderful reading experience and the mix of humor with science - with an added twist of adventure - made me want to put everything else aside to see what Joel was into now.
This story takes place in 2147. Freight teleportation began first (not slowed down at all by the loss of one of the art world's practically sacred icons), but by 2126 human teleportation had become commercialized by one of the largest corporations in the world, International Transport. (See, we can blame it all on IT!) Joel Byram's wife Sylvia works for IT and has been so consumed by a new project that it has caused some serious stress on their marriage. The plan is for the two of them to teleport to Costa Rica for a second honeymoon. Sylvia leaves first (because only one person can go at a time) and a few seconds later Joel's teleportation process begins. So why does Joel regain consciousness after being given a huge electric shock to find himself not in Costa Rica but in a room with three people he doesn't know and without the ability to use his comms? The story is told by Joel as a way for him to explain to people in the future how he found out there was a dirty little secret about teleportation and a huge global corporation would do whatever it took to keep that secret hidden. This is Big Technology against Religious Fanatics and, yes, the capital letters are necessary.
The book is very much science fiction with the insertion of humor making it a thoroughly enjoyable experience. The author has done this one right because everything from the monetary system to the medical science to global governing has moved far ahead of our present world. Joel is definitely not going to impress as a standard hero of a novel except that you understand that he is basically a very good guy, he just lets his attitude and sarcasm get him into all kinds of trouble. Tal M. Klein did such a good job with the science of explaining what the Punch Escrow is that even I understand where he was going with it. There is good hard science involved in telling the story and making it plausible but it is also filled with lighter moments of humor and plot twists that keep readers wondering what - or where - in the world the book will go next.
Grab this one if you like something really different to read. Grab this one if you like science fiction. Grab this one if you want to feel like you've been on a big, impossible adventure. In short, just grab this one because it's such a darn good book!
This was a wonderful reading experience and the mix of humor with science - with an added twist of adventure - made me want to put everything else aside to see what Joel was into now.
This story takes place in 2147. Freight teleportation began first (not slowed down at all by the loss of one of the art world's practically sacred icons), but by 2126 human teleportation had become commercialized by one of the largest corporations in the world, International Transport. (See, we can blame it all on IT!) Joel Byram's wife Sylvia works for IT and has been so consumed by a new project that it has caused some serious stress on their marriage. The plan is for the two of them to teleport to Costa Rica for a second honeymoon. Sylvia leaves first (because only one person can go at a time) and a few seconds later Joel's teleportation process begins. So why does Joel regain consciousness after being given a huge electric shock to find himself not in Costa Rica but in a room with three people he doesn't know and without the ability to use his comms? The story is told by Joel as a way for him to explain to people in the future how he found out there was a dirty little secret about teleportation and a huge global corporation would do whatever it took to keep that secret hidden. This is Big Technology against Religious Fanatics and, yes, the capital letters are necessary.
The book is very much science fiction with the insertion of humor making it a thoroughly enjoyable experience. The author has done this one right because everything from the monetary system to the medical science to global governing has moved far ahead of our present world. Joel is definitely not going to impress as a standard hero of a novel except that you understand that he is basically a very good guy, he just lets his attitude and sarcasm get him into all kinds of trouble. Tal M. Klein did such a good job with the science of explaining what the Punch Escrow is that even I understand where he was going with it. There is good hard science involved in telling the story and making it plausible but it is also filled with lighter moments of humor and plot twists that keep readers wondering what - or where - in the world the book will go next.
Grab this one if you like something really different to read. Grab this one if you like science fiction. Grab this one if you want to feel like you've been on a big, impossible adventure. In short, just grab this one because it's such a darn good book!
July 21, 2017
I've been a faithless reader (or reviewer, technically), Goodreads, and The Punch Escrow is the first book I'm reviewing in what feels like a lifetime and a half. Many thanks to the ever generous Netgalley and the publisher for providing a copy for review purposes.
It's difficult to know where to begin with The Punch Escrow. Although I might venture outside of "my genres," I'm always secretly craving solid sci-fi above all else. Everything else is my milk chocolate: in a pinch it'll do the job, but it's never going to provide that incomparable dark chocolate bliss.
In most ways, The Punch Escrow packs the punches and delivers just that. Joel Byram has a big problem. Several powerful parties want him dead. They have unlimited resources at their disposal to attain their goal, and he's just a man disconnected from his comms/the world. After being involved in a teleporting incident en route to a second honeymoon with his beloved, matters are somewhat murky and he's a man on the run for his life and everything that he loves. But (of course) it's far more complicated than it first appears.
There are places the story feels a little overwrought, when the author takes the reader to lengthy footnote detours explaining the specifics of the science of teleportation et. al in the book. I have a love/hate relationship with footnotes in science fiction - sometimes they're necessarily informative and clever, other times they just seem like a pointless dead end that takes away from the flow of the story, and the return can be unpleasantly jolting.
What I liked most about this was that it's so much damn fun. Klein knows how to keep his readers engaged at every turn. This could have easily been Dark Matter 2.0, but it's so much more than that. The Punch Escrow is different because of its attention to detail: there's an atmosphere of division eroding the future world, religious sects vying for power, corporations in charge, AIs who feel all too human. The world-building here is original and impressive, even if I personally would've liked to see more time dedicated to Joel's relationship with his wife.
Pick this up for an original summer read if you like Blake Crouch, David Wong, Terry Pratchett, or if you're just searching for a good entertaining read that flies by. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 because of my undying love for Culture Club.
It's difficult to know where to begin with The Punch Escrow. Although I might venture outside of "my genres," I'm always secretly craving solid sci-fi above all else. Everything else is my milk chocolate: in a pinch it'll do the job, but it's never going to provide that incomparable dark chocolate bliss.
In most ways, The Punch Escrow packs the punches and delivers just that. Joel Byram has a big problem. Several powerful parties want him dead. They have unlimited resources at their disposal to attain their goal, and he's just a man disconnected from his comms/the world. After being involved in a teleporting incident en route to a second honeymoon with his beloved, matters are somewhat murky and he's a man on the run for his life and everything that he loves. But (of course) it's far more complicated than it first appears.
There are places the story feels a little overwrought, when the author takes the reader to lengthy footnote detours explaining the specifics of the science of teleportation et. al in the book. I have a love/hate relationship with footnotes in science fiction - sometimes they're necessarily informative and clever, other times they just seem like a pointless dead end that takes away from the flow of the story, and the return can be unpleasantly jolting.
What I liked most about this was that it's so much damn fun. Klein knows how to keep his readers engaged at every turn. This could have easily been Dark Matter 2.0, but it's so much more than that. The Punch Escrow is different because of its attention to detail: there's an atmosphere of division eroding the future world, religious sects vying for power, corporations in charge, AIs who feel all too human. The world-building here is original and impressive, even if I personally would've liked to see more time dedicated to Joel's relationship with his wife.
Pick this up for an original summer read if you like Blake Crouch, David Wong, Terry Pratchett, or if you're just searching for a good entertaining read that flies by. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 because of my undying love for Culture Club.
August 11, 2017
The Punch Escrow presents a great concept on the surface, how technology can make us question what it means to exist and influence our concept of self. However, the execution was just messy and came across as an unedited story. There are numerous plot problems that really make no sense, the characters and especially the narrator are not very likable or make believable decisions, and the book fails to go further than surface deep on many of the core scifi concepts that drive the story. I felt the author wanted to cram a lot of interesting ideas into the book, but didn't know how to integrate them into the story (the footnotes explaining the psuedo-science were fun at first, but eventually grew tiring since they jarringly pulled the reader out of the pace of the story). With a good rework of the plot and the characters, this could have been an amazing book, and perhaps it would make a fun movie if done right, but overall I'd recommend you skip this one.
May 5, 2017
The Punch Escrow is a fun exercise in the possibilities and dangers of future tech. Joel and his wife are on their way to a second honeymoon when a terrorist bomb damages the teleportation center just as Joel is traveling from NY to Costa Rica. The disruption in the process produces evidence of the true nature of teleportation (a well-guarded secret) in the form of a duplicate Joel, one still in New York, and one in Costa Rica.
With a virtual army of enemies, spies, mad scientists, and religious fanatics all trying to capture the Joels and their wife to serve their own ends, the story is fast-paced and exciting. Mostly. There are a couple of points where I felt the narrative bogged down with a bit too much of the "What?" and "I don't understand." or "Why are you doing this?" going on. Still, it's a fun story with a protagonist (two of them) who is a smart-ass, with the emphasis on smart.
This is a fast read. There's nothing heavy here, not even philosophical questions which might have been heavier in different hands. But narrated by a less-than-serious hero, the story never indulges in too much moralizing about the inherent dangers of unfettered technological development.
With a virtual army of enemies, spies, mad scientists, and religious fanatics all trying to capture the Joels and their wife to serve their own ends, the story is fast-paced and exciting. Mostly. There are a couple of points where I felt the narrative bogged down with a bit too much of the "What?" and "I don't understand." or "Why are you doing this?" going on. Still, it's a fun story with a protagonist (two of them) who is a smart-ass, with the emphasis on smart.
This is a fast read. There's nothing heavy here, not even philosophical questions which might have been heavier in different hands. But narrated by a less-than-serious hero, the story never indulges in too much moralizing about the inherent dangers of unfettered technological development.
August 20, 2019
The Punch Escrow is quite a good choice if you're looking for a simple,easy, fast paced techno-thriller. Don't pick this up if you're looking for a quality sci-fi. Despite the setting of this book is based in the future and deals a lot with human teleportation, that sci-fi part only serves as a plot background and the real deal is about main characters running around and playing either hide and seek or catch me if you can.
Still, as I've said, it is a good book if you're looking for something to read on the beach, etc. Just don't expect any fresh and groundbreaking ideas or an engaging plot with lots of twists. And you really shouldn't be expecting to remember this book a couple of years after you've read it. It's not bad, it's just a bit predictable and full of tropes. Though the writing is good and it is easy and fun to read it. 3*.
Still, as I've said, it is a good book if you're looking for something to read on the beach, etc. Just don't expect any fresh and groundbreaking ideas or an engaging plot with lots of twists. And you really shouldn't be expecting to remember this book a couple of years after you've read it. It's not bad, it's just a bit predictable and full of tropes. Though the writing is good and it is easy and fun to read it. 3*.
March 5, 2020
TL;DR: This book feels like it was assembled at random from a pile of tropes and cliches. You will need an exceptional ability to overlook flaws and suspend disbelief to enjoy this.
This is my first real review here on Goodreads and there's a reason for that. I finished it out of morbid curiosity to see all the mistakes it makes rather than actual interest. In the spirit of tired cliches and hollow snark I have used Gratuitous Capitalization below.
*MAX SPOILERS* (for those who read 1-star reviews and still read the book?)
The explicit cover text premise of the book is that the protagonist, Joel, inadvertently learns a Terrible Secret about teleportation and then goes on the run from the teleportation company. Well the secret is that teleportation tech is just a subatomic copy-and-delete operation that amounts to murdering every user. But the public doesn't know! (Why everyone is totally fine not knowing how the tech works is never mentioned). That's not a novel concept in the sci-fi genre, but unless you just got into SF last year the blame lies with us for picking the book up anyway. So let's see what the author can do with it!
Due to an anti-teleportation terrorist bombing Joel is copied but not deleted during a routine teleport. Joel's wife, as an engineer with the teleportation company, has access to a secret feature under development that allows her to restore a fresh copy of Joel from a backup made during his failed teleport. This is naturally unacceptable evidence of the Terrible Secret that the teleportation company must erase by any means necessary. Or so we're given to understand, because...
What actually happens is that the teleportation company asks Joel to pretty please let them kill and dispose of him. Before the company can proceed to the use of force Joel is removed from the situation in a bizarre manner by a undercover spy for an foreign power with anti-teleporting religious views. Joel escapes from this new group
almost immediately via what might as well be a Monkey Island puzzle solution. The book then proceeds to have Joel be On The Run to Save His Wife from the original terrorist group. In the process, Joel voluntarily teleports again right away, despite the entire premise of the book being that he knows It Kills You and that people should Have A Problem with it.
The book then spends a good fraction of it's middle on the Joel-copy's viewpoint of time spent with the terrorists who've kidnapped the wife. This ends abruptly when the Official Evil Guy (teleportion R&D head, wife's boss) from the teleport company also shows up to kidnap the wife. At some off-page point this R&D honcho went rogue and we're just told briefly that he'd been playing around with the backup feature and now he's Just Plain Insane. The original plot of the book - that the company itself is out to get Joel - is fully abandoned without explanation, never to be heard from again. It's also worth noting that it's never explained how the backup feature is any different than regular teleportation which people all over the world use daily and don't seem to go insane.
Now both Joel and his copy teleport AGAIN to save their wife - with no qualms about the whole teleportation-is-death problem. They reconnect with the foreign power's spies by unexplained means and arrange a team-up whose benefit to the foreign power is not established. With this help, they locate the rogue R&D guy at a teleport station where we learn that he's going to use the teleporter's delete capability to wipe out the entire city while he uploads into the company backup system to hide out. No explanation for his rationale is given other than General Insanity; in fact, the book actively mocks the need for explanation by having Joel tell us how he's pretending to listen to the villain's rant. During this Tense Moment the wife exclaims to the villain that the backup feature Was a Mistake, but there's no basis for her to have had this change of heart about the tech she's personally been working on for months. She had to have understood the implications from the beginning.
Joel-copy gives his life to stop the bad guy in the space of a couple paragraphs with no discussion or build-up at all. This super-conveniently ends with zero tension the one thread of plot that the book had maintained: the notion that two copies of Joel in the world is going to reveal the Terrible Secret. Joel and his wife are allowed to retire in peace by both the company and the foreign spy service despite everything they know. This actually turns out to be excellent character judgment on the part of both organizations because neither Joel or Wife decides to tell the public the Terrible Secret that motivated the entire plot anyway.
The End.
If it doesn't sound like a lot happens in the book you're not wrong. The book fills some space with lengthy fact-dumps about the world both directly in the narration AND as numbered footnotes. These are more interesting than the plot but they have serious problems of their own as they make some bizarre science and logic mistakes. Here's one memorable example. This world has essentially perfect atomic 3D printing tech using "carbon ink". They are de facto Star Trek replicators, as common as microwaves and used for purposes as mundane as making coffee. A footnote explains that they are all equipped with anti-piracy tech. The footnote example used to illustrate the anti-piracy tech is that a gold bar would be printed with serial numbers, and that a printer would refuse to replicate the serial numbers so a copy couldn't pass as the original gold bar. As if the value of gold was in the serial number or that a printer using "carbon ink" could even print gold or that "carbon ink" containing gold wouldn't cost more because GOLD.
Another expository dump happens in a flashback early in the book (prior to the Big Reveal of the teleportation-is-death secret). This flashback depicts a conversation between Joel and his wife wherein she explains that she can't tell him about the secret teleportation project (backups) that she's working on, but that it could be useful for deep space exploration because (1) it would take "hours" to transmit a person across 18 light-years, (2) teleportation is based on data representing a person. This is bizarre because Joel's blithe acceptance of this fact at the time means that it's common knowledge that teleportation is based on data and not wormholes or some other actually-moving matter principle. Yet another early footnote explains details about the well-known teleportation data-transmission protocol. This earns bonus points because we're specifically told it adaptively fills in missing data, but also that people consistently arrive after a teleport with a few grams less mass due to packet loss despite correction.
There are so many more inexplicable statements and actions that I'd probably be violating copyright by listing them all. I don't even have the energy to go into detail about the tone (pointless generic snark all the way) or the viewpoint (every thought that enters Joel's head, none of them insightful) or the hamfisted use of some 80s cultural references that will probably alienate even the people who lived through that time.
This is my first real review here on Goodreads and there's a reason for that. I finished it out of morbid curiosity to see all the mistakes it makes rather than actual interest. In the spirit of tired cliches and hollow snark I have used Gratuitous Capitalization below.
*MAX SPOILERS* (for those who read 1-star reviews and still read the book?)
The explicit cover text premise of the book is that the protagonist, Joel, inadvertently learns a Terrible Secret about teleportation and then goes on the run from the teleportation company. Well the secret is that teleportation tech is just a subatomic copy-and-delete operation that amounts to murdering every user. But the public doesn't know! (Why everyone is totally fine not knowing how the tech works is never mentioned). That's not a novel concept in the sci-fi genre, but unless you just got into SF last year the blame lies with us for picking the book up anyway. So let's see what the author can do with it!
Due to an anti-teleportation terrorist bombing Joel is copied but not deleted during a routine teleport. Joel's wife, as an engineer with the teleportation company, has access to a secret feature under development that allows her to restore a fresh copy of Joel from a backup made during his failed teleport. This is naturally unacceptable evidence of the Terrible Secret that the teleportation company must erase by any means necessary. Or so we're given to understand, because...
What actually happens is that the teleportation company asks Joel to pretty please let them kill and dispose of him. Before the company can proceed to the use of force Joel is removed from the situation in a bizarre manner by a undercover spy for an foreign power with anti-teleporting religious views. Joel escapes from this new group
almost immediately via what might as well be a Monkey Island puzzle solution. The book then proceeds to have Joel be On The Run to Save His Wife from the original terrorist group. In the process, Joel voluntarily teleports again right away, despite the entire premise of the book being that he knows It Kills You and that people should Have A Problem with it.
The book then spends a good fraction of it's middle on the Joel-copy's viewpoint of time spent with the terrorists who've kidnapped the wife. This ends abruptly when the Official Evil Guy (teleportion R&D head, wife's boss) from the teleport company also shows up to kidnap the wife. At some off-page point this R&D honcho went rogue and we're just told briefly that he'd been playing around with the backup feature and now he's Just Plain Insane. The original plot of the book - that the company itself is out to get Joel - is fully abandoned without explanation, never to be heard from again. It's also worth noting that it's never explained how the backup feature is any different than regular teleportation which people all over the world use daily and don't seem to go insane.
Now both Joel and his copy teleport AGAIN to save their wife - with no qualms about the whole teleportation-is-death problem. They reconnect with the foreign power's spies by unexplained means and arrange a team-up whose benefit to the foreign power is not established. With this help, they locate the rogue R&D guy at a teleport station where we learn that he's going to use the teleporter's delete capability to wipe out the entire city while he uploads into the company backup system to hide out. No explanation for his rationale is given other than General Insanity; in fact, the book actively mocks the need for explanation by having Joel tell us how he's pretending to listen to the villain's rant. During this Tense Moment the wife exclaims to the villain that the backup feature Was a Mistake, but there's no basis for her to have had this change of heart about the tech she's personally been working on for months. She had to have understood the implications from the beginning.
Joel-copy gives his life to stop the bad guy in the space of a couple paragraphs with no discussion or build-up at all. This super-conveniently ends with zero tension the one thread of plot that the book had maintained: the notion that two copies of Joel in the world is going to reveal the Terrible Secret. Joel and his wife are allowed to retire in peace by both the company and the foreign spy service despite everything they know. This actually turns out to be excellent character judgment on the part of both organizations because neither Joel or Wife decides to tell the public the Terrible Secret that motivated the entire plot anyway.
The End.
If it doesn't sound like a lot happens in the book you're not wrong. The book fills some space with lengthy fact-dumps about the world both directly in the narration AND as numbered footnotes. These are more interesting than the plot but they have serious problems of their own as they make some bizarre science and logic mistakes. Here's one memorable example. This world has essentially perfect atomic 3D printing tech using "carbon ink". They are de facto Star Trek replicators, as common as microwaves and used for purposes as mundane as making coffee. A footnote explains that they are all equipped with anti-piracy tech. The footnote example used to illustrate the anti-piracy tech is that a gold bar would be printed with serial numbers, and that a printer would refuse to replicate the serial numbers so a copy couldn't pass as the original gold bar. As if the value of gold was in the serial number or that a printer using "carbon ink" could even print gold or that "carbon ink" containing gold wouldn't cost more because GOLD.
Another expository dump happens in a flashback early in the book (prior to the Big Reveal of the teleportation-is-death secret). This flashback depicts a conversation between Joel and his wife wherein she explains that she can't tell him about the secret teleportation project (backups) that she's working on, but that it could be useful for deep space exploration because (1) it would take "hours" to transmit a person across 18 light-years, (2) teleportation is based on data representing a person. This is bizarre because Joel's blithe acceptance of this fact at the time means that it's common knowledge that teleportation is based on data and not wormholes or some other actually-moving matter principle. Yet another early footnote explains details about the well-known teleportation data-transmission protocol. This earns bonus points because we're specifically told it adaptively fills in missing data, but also that people consistently arrive after a teleport with a few grams less mass due to packet loss despite correction.
There are so many more inexplicable statements and actions that I'd probably be violating copyright by listing them all. I don't even have the energy to go into detail about the tone (pointless generic snark all the way) or the viewpoint (every thought that enters Joel's head, none of them insightful) or the hamfisted use of some 80s cultural references that will probably alienate even the people who lived through that time.
August 16, 2017
This year's The Martian or Ready Player One
The Martian, Ready Player One, Dark Matter. Every year we get that one book that is an almost perfect blend of science fiction, nostalgia, hardcore geekery, and fun. This is that book. I recommend it to everyone. Hilarious, fast-paced with some amazing science. The dialog was realistic, the premise was fun, and the characters memorable. A great read all around.
The Martian, Ready Player One, Dark Matter. Every year we get that one book that is an almost perfect blend of science fiction, nostalgia, hardcore geekery, and fun. This is that book. I recommend it to everyone. Hilarious, fast-paced with some amazing science. The dialog was realistic, the premise was fun, and the characters memorable. A great read all around.
July 22, 2020
“So it’s more like sending a fax than mailing a letter. Only the transporter is a fax machine that shreds the original. Your original body, along with your brain, gets vaporized. Which means what comes out the other end isn’t you. It’s an exact copy that the machine made, of a man who is now dead, his atoms floating freely around the interior of the ship. Only within the universe of the show, nobody knows this.”
- This Book Is Full of Spiders by David Wong
This entire book is based on page 54 of Wong’s aforementioned book but nowhere did I see credit given. It’s the first thing I mention because it bugged me the whole time. That’s not to say one of the many Star Trek books couldn’t have mentioned the same creepy theory.
Ok, now that that’s out of the way... to the other things that bothered me.
Lots of footnotes. Sometimes this works (Stoned: Jewelry, Obsession, and How Desire Shapes the World, House of Leaves) but not here. I don’t know enough physics to know what he made up and what’s real, but I do know I don’t want to look like an idiot at a cocktail party (again... I mean for the first time.)
Our MCs are looking at the end of their marriage, not even living together anymore. Yet most of this story is driven by a ferocious, desperate love that was non existent at character introduction.
On the plus side, there was much action and it wasn’t a long book. I would try something else by this author but not the sequel he dangled at the end.
This is a low three for me.
June 7, 2017
This is one of the most fun books I've read this year. It's hard sci-fi with a hefty dose of humor, and I can totally imagine it as a movie (stylistically and tonally, it would probably be, like, Fight Club meets Joss Whedon).
Klein makes the science seem plausible, as well as the details and development of the future-world. This is due largely to the sardonic narrative voice of the main character, Joel Byram, as he attempts to navigate a very sticky situation in which he finds himself. The forces of corporate greed, religious mania, and simple but strong love are all given their weight -- plus violence, talking AI, and footnotes of comedy gold. It's quite a balancing act for a first novel. I should also mention that there was not a single character that I didn't like.
So why not 5 stars? Well, I debated, but there were a couple of things that took me down a notch. Firstly, while the constant references to (and literal plot insertions of) 1980s pop music are very amusing to someone like me, a child of the 1980s, they do get to be a bit much. And I don't think they're adequately explained in the book beyond "future person Joel Byram just so happens to love that old, obscure 1980s music". It's more likely that "author Tal M. Klein just so happens to love 1980s music" and just couldn't help himself. Again, subjectively, the music brought a lot to my brain-movie of this book, but objectively, anyone of a different age than Klein or myself may not dig it. Secondly, although I did mention that I liked all of the characters, there are a couple of moments wherein they hit the line of racial/national caricature. They don't necessarily cross it, but your mileage may vary.
Overall I really liked this and would definitely recommend it. I'll be curious to see what Klein comes up with next.
** I received a Review Copy of this book via NetGalley *
Klein makes the science seem plausible, as well as the details and development of the future-world. This is due largely to the sardonic narrative voice of the main character, Joel Byram, as he attempts to navigate a very sticky situation in which he finds himself. The forces of corporate greed, religious mania, and simple but strong love are all given their weight -- plus violence, talking AI, and footnotes of comedy gold. It's quite a balancing act for a first novel. I should also mention that there was not a single character that I didn't like.
So why not 5 stars? Well, I debated, but there were a couple of things that took me down a notch. Firstly, while the constant references to (and literal plot insertions of) 1980s pop music are very amusing to someone like me, a child of the 1980s, they do get to be a bit much. And I don't think they're adequately explained in the book beyond "future person Joel Byram just so happens to love that old, obscure 1980s music". It's more likely that "author Tal M. Klein just so happens to love 1980s music" and just couldn't help himself. Again, subjectively, the music brought a lot to my brain-movie of this book, but objectively, anyone of a different age than Klein or myself may not dig it. Secondly, although I did mention that I liked all of the characters, there are a couple of moments wherein they hit the line of racial/national caricature. They don't necessarily cross it, but your mileage may vary.
Overall I really liked this and would definitely recommend it. I'll be curious to see what Klein comes up with next.
** I received a Review Copy of this book via NetGalley *
January 20, 2019
“Bullshit this, bullshit that. You keep using that word like it means something other than what comes out of a cow. It's not bullshit, Yoel. It's life.”
I was hooked on this when I saw that it was a Sci-Fi taking place on earth in 2147. I feel way too little authors dare to predict the future on our planet. Instead they prefer to travel to a distant star or come up with a society that was built under very different conditions. I understand that our very own future is intimidating. Tons of time needs to be spent on researching what is actually possible and realistic. I think Tal Klein did an amazing job at this. Of course – like any Sci-Fi author – he’s still bending the laws of nature a little bit to fit his plot line, but the overall development of society was not unrealistic in my opinion.
I loved the little twist that the story was told to someone in the future, so Yoel had to explain how things had changed compared to our time. This “excuse” to explain everything in great detail was amazing and it gives the reader a detailed insight into life as of 2147.
I also have to compliment the author for bending my mind with though experiments like the ship of Theseus. This brought the whole book to a whole new level!
On the down side I have to mention that it was pretty clear from the beginning where the journey was going. Maybe it was intentional, maybe I’m just too smart for this world. However, I prefer to be a little bit more surprised by a plot line.
I hear the author is working on a sequel which I will definitely pick up as soon as it’s available!
4/5
I was hooked on this when I saw that it was a Sci-Fi taking place on earth in 2147. I feel way too little authors dare to predict the future on our planet. Instead they prefer to travel to a distant star or come up with a society that was built under very different conditions. I understand that our very own future is intimidating. Tons of time needs to be spent on researching what is actually possible and realistic. I think Tal Klein did an amazing job at this. Of course – like any Sci-Fi author – he’s still bending the laws of nature a little bit to fit his plot line, but the overall development of society was not unrealistic in my opinion.
I loved the little twist that the story was told to someone in the future, so Yoel had to explain how things had changed compared to our time. This “excuse” to explain everything in great detail was amazing and it gives the reader a detailed insight into life as of 2147.
I also have to compliment the author for bending my mind with though experiments like the ship of Theseus. This brought the whole book to a whole new level!
On the down side I have to mention that it was pretty clear from the beginning where the journey was going. Maybe it was intentional, maybe I’m just too smart for this world. However, I prefer to be a little bit more surprised by a plot line.
I hear the author is working on a sequel which I will definitely pick up as soon as it’s available!
4/5
July 10, 2017
Punch Escrow, by Tal M. Klein, July. 2017
The year is 2147 and our protagonist Joel Byram is in a pickle. His marriage is floundering and in an effort to rekindle the romance, he and his wife Sylvia plan a nice second honeymoon in Costa Rica. Sylvia works for International Transport (IT), the company that has commercialized freight and human teleportation. Sylvia leaves work early and teleports to Costa Rica, with Joel to follow as soon as he can get his bag packed. Now Joel has teleported over a hundred times. Teleporting is considered to be the safest way to travel, but a terrorist implodes herself and Joel ends up stuck in New York. All comms are down and a much panicked Sylvia waiting in Costa Rica breaks a very important rule which reveals the secret truth behind the way teleportation really works. This is a really fun Sci-fi read that is filled with inventive technology and liberally laced with slapstick humor. Fans of Jon Scalzi and Andy Weir will eat this one up! Unputdownable fun!
The year is 2147 and our protagonist Joel Byram is in a pickle. His marriage is floundering and in an effort to rekindle the romance, he and his wife Sylvia plan a nice second honeymoon in Costa Rica. Sylvia works for International Transport (IT), the company that has commercialized freight and human teleportation. Sylvia leaves work early and teleports to Costa Rica, with Joel to follow as soon as he can get his bag packed. Now Joel has teleported over a hundred times. Teleporting is considered to be the safest way to travel, but a terrorist implodes herself and Joel ends up stuck in New York. All comms are down and a much panicked Sylvia waiting in Costa Rica breaks a very important rule which reveals the secret truth behind the way teleportation really works. This is a really fun Sci-fi read that is filled with inventive technology and liberally laced with slapstick humor. Fans of Jon Scalzi and Andy Weir will eat this one up! Unputdownable fun!
June 18, 2017
This book has so much to love: fast-paced action, full-bodied scientific explanations, disarmingly funny and sweet moments, and such a good ending. But what I loved most about this story is what it left with me—it makes the question of how far we might push humanity in the name of scientific advancement very tangible and personal. I imagined making these futuristic choices with the protagonists, feeling their empowerment along with the inextricable dangers and existential crises. This is more than a fun summer read—it'll stay with you long after, and perhaps drive some awesome philosophical conversations with friends and family.
August 23, 2017
A great read. Well written and fully developed.
Teleportation has transformed travel as anyone can go anywhere in a moment. However something is just not right.
Soon we are on a whirlwind chase to find out what the truth is. Bad guys and good guys; but who is who ?
Highly recommended
Teleportation has transformed travel as anyone can go anywhere in a moment. However something is just not right.
Soon we are on a whirlwind chase to find out what the truth is. Bad guys and good guys; but who is who ?
Highly recommended
September 2, 2017
The Punch Escrow is inventive, astounding, and intense! This one will take you on an unforgettable ride to the future! Prepare for twists and turns, action, humor, and a thought provoking plot.
The Plot: The Punch Escrow takes place in the year 2147 where teleportation is the main mode of transportation, people decide when and how they age with nanotechnology, each person has a neural transplanted comm system, and pretty much everything is automated or run by artificial intelligence. Joel Byram is on his way to Costa Rica to meet his wife for a second honeymoon when something goes terribly wrong with the teleport. He teleports to Costa Rica, but he doesn’t. Suddenly, there is another Joel in Costa Rica, meeting with his wife, and taking over his comms and identity. Now New York Joel is on the run from the corporation that controls the teleportation system, and from the religious group that is set out to destroy the company.
I don’t know if I have any words that can properly represent this book. I was blown away by the immense amount of creativity that Klein has shown with this story! This one is going down as a “one sitting read” because I could not put it down!
The Punch Escrow is one of those books that provokes deep thoughts about the future, technology, and humanity. I can tell that the author spent a tremendous amount of time building this highly imaginative world for us to fall in to! The book has awesome foot note details that help us delve in to the “history” of the world, and the writing style has an immense amount of detail and imagery to help us really see the story.
I really loved the plot. I felt like it really involved me, and I was thoroughly surprised at every twist and turn. When I arrived at the “big reveal” of the story, and the secret behind the teleportation system, my mind was blown! This plot revelation was unbelievable, incredible, and terrifying! I think I would have had the same reaction the main character had if I had found out this secret in reality.
I really enjoyed reading the story from Joel’s perspective. He was an interesting character. He was intelligent, had a funny sense of humor, had decent morals, and ended up being pretty brave and heroic! I really loved his admiration for the 80’s (1980’s)! Klein did a fantastic job with getting us in Joel’s head and making us feel like we were caught in this crazy situation with him.
I enjoyed the rest of the characters. I felt like they had just enough development to help me understand their personalities and roles in the story. I liked Joel’s wife, Sylvia. I was intrigued by Joel 2, and I really loved the “mad scientist” villainous character!
This one made it in my top list of Science Fiction novels! It had an incredible plot, profound writing style, developed characters, and awesome plot twists! I really loved the Princess Bride reference and 80’s song title chapter names! There were so many fun science aspects in the story that I felt like the guys from The Big Bang Theory would approve of this book!
The Plot: The Punch Escrow takes place in the year 2147 where teleportation is the main mode of transportation, people decide when and how they age with nanotechnology, each person has a neural transplanted comm system, and pretty much everything is automated or run by artificial intelligence. Joel Byram is on his way to Costa Rica to meet his wife for a second honeymoon when something goes terribly wrong with the teleport. He teleports to Costa Rica, but he doesn’t. Suddenly, there is another Joel in Costa Rica, meeting with his wife, and taking over his comms and identity. Now New York Joel is on the run from the corporation that controls the teleportation system, and from the religious group that is set out to destroy the company.
I don’t know if I have any words that can properly represent this book. I was blown away by the immense amount of creativity that Klein has shown with this story! This one is going down as a “one sitting read” because I could not put it down!
The Punch Escrow is one of those books that provokes deep thoughts about the future, technology, and humanity. I can tell that the author spent a tremendous amount of time building this highly imaginative world for us to fall in to! The book has awesome foot note details that help us delve in to the “history” of the world, and the writing style has an immense amount of detail and imagery to help us really see the story.
I really loved the plot. I felt like it really involved me, and I was thoroughly surprised at every twist and turn. When I arrived at the “big reveal” of the story, and the secret behind the teleportation system, my mind was blown! This plot revelation was unbelievable, incredible, and terrifying! I think I would have had the same reaction the main character had if I had found out this secret in reality.
I really enjoyed reading the story from Joel’s perspective. He was an interesting character. He was intelligent, had a funny sense of humor, had decent morals, and ended up being pretty brave and heroic! I really loved his admiration for the 80’s (1980’s)! Klein did a fantastic job with getting us in Joel’s head and making us feel like we were caught in this crazy situation with him.
I enjoyed the rest of the characters. I felt like they had just enough development to help me understand their personalities and roles in the story. I liked Joel’s wife, Sylvia. I was intrigued by Joel 2, and I really loved the “mad scientist” villainous character!
This one made it in my top list of Science Fiction novels! It had an incredible plot, profound writing style, developed characters, and awesome plot twists! I really loved the Princess Bride reference and 80’s song title chapter names! There were so many fun science aspects in the story that I felt like the guys from The Big Bang Theory would approve of this book!
August 8, 2017
"Usually the Manhattan skyline was obscured by the haze of a billions-strong swarm of mosquitoes that ate pollution and pissed water." International Transport (IT) is a powerful and secretive corporation that controls all teleportation, but they aren't completely transparent about their methodology. When Joel Byram and his beautiful and brilliant wife Sylvia (who works at IT) try to teleport to Costa Rica for a second honeymoon, a group of religious fanatics cause things to go awry and the result is an accidental duplication of Joel.
I liked the scientific concepts in this book more than I liked the writing, but it was fast moving and kept me entertained for the most part. Philosophical questions were raised, but not delved into too deeply.
I had a few problems with this book. Joel is a smartass. I see a lot of young, male authors who make their male characters smartasses, constantly making wisecracks. I know that not everyone can be Oscar Wilde, but it would be refreshing to find some more intelligent way to lighten up a character. I really didn't know what Sylvia saw in him. Then there are the numerous and long-winded footnotes. They didn't work well in the ebook ARC that I was reading because they sometimes landed in the middle of sentences of the text. Maybe they are easier to read in the finished book. They usually did not add much to the story anyway, and I think that you can safely skip most of them and not miss much unless you really crave complicated science (and I have no idea about the accuracy of any of it).
It's hard to describe my other problems with the book in a spoiler-free manner but I'll try to mention some of them. Sylvia knows exactly how teleportation works, and has been working on a secret but related project called Honeycomb for over a year. Nevertheless, when the duplicate Joels appear she goes all "fainting maiden" at the proposed solution for the problem. The solution is in total compliance with the normal teleportation protocol so Sylvia's ethical dilemma is not logical. The duplicate Joels don't really need to be a problem, it's Honeycomb that poses the real ethical issues. However, having two Joels running around in the second half of the book (which is more thriller than sci fi) is probably better for the inevitable movie. The ending of the book suggests that there may be a sequel. If so, I would probably read it.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.
I liked the scientific concepts in this book more than I liked the writing, but it was fast moving and kept me entertained for the most part. Philosophical questions were raised, but not delved into too deeply.
I had a few problems with this book. Joel is a smartass. I see a lot of young, male authors who make their male characters smartasses, constantly making wisecracks. I know that not everyone can be Oscar Wilde, but it would be refreshing to find some more intelligent way to lighten up a character. I really didn't know what Sylvia saw in him. Then there are the numerous and long-winded footnotes. They didn't work well in the ebook ARC that I was reading because they sometimes landed in the middle of sentences of the text. Maybe they are easier to read in the finished book. They usually did not add much to the story anyway, and I think that you can safely skip most of them and not miss much unless you really crave complicated science (and I have no idea about the accuracy of any of it).
It's hard to describe my other problems with the book in a spoiler-free manner but I'll try to mention some of them. Sylvia knows exactly how teleportation works, and has been working on a secret but related project called Honeycomb for over a year. Nevertheless, when the duplicate Joels appear she goes all "fainting maiden" at the proposed solution for the problem. The solution is in total compliance with the normal teleportation protocol so Sylvia's ethical dilemma is not logical. The duplicate Joels don't really need to be a problem, it's Honeycomb that poses the real ethical issues. However, having two Joels running around in the second half of the book (which is more thriller than sci fi) is probably better for the inevitable movie. The ending of the book suggests that there may be a sequel. If so, I would probably read it.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.
September 27, 2017
That was seriously one heck of a read ...and this cover is seriously so dang beautiful!
3 stars only because the footnotes were a little excessive at times and wanted more character development.
Overall, super fun and great world building.
Just a fyi ,this is more of a "sciency"/technology-based type of sci-fi.
I want to thank the publisher Inkshare, Wunderkind-pr, Geek & Sundry, and Tal M. Klein for kindly sending me a copy of this book for an honest review.
3 stars only because the footnotes were a little excessive at times and wanted more character development.
Overall, super fun and great world building.
Just a fyi ,this is more of a "sciency"/technology-based type of sci-fi.
I want to thank the publisher Inkshare, Wunderkind-pr, Geek & Sundry, and Tal M. Klein for kindly sending me a copy of this book for an honest review.
July 31, 2025
*3.5
this was my 1st book by this author, which was also a debut, and i liked it more than i thought i would!
joel was hilarious, i loved him. his personality definitely was the highlight of this story for me. the inner monologue was quite entertaining lol.
also not elon musk being mentioned. 🤢
the writing style was engaging, even though it was confusing at times with all the sci-fi thing going on. there were definitely a lot of things that went way over my head, but i was just there for the vibes lol.
there were also a bit too many footnotes. i didn't particularly for them and some of them didn't even really give anything to the story.
i looooved the short chapters! they made the book fly by for me.
i tend to avoid books about teleportation/clones but this one was actually interesting to follow. i was curious to see how the story wrapped up and, honestly, the ending wasn't my favourite, but i still enjoyed the story for what it was. i'd recommend it!
this was my 1st book by this author, which was also a debut, and i liked it more than i thought i would!
joel was hilarious, i loved him. his personality definitely was the highlight of this story for me. the inner monologue was quite entertaining lol.
also not elon musk being mentioned. 🤢
the writing style was engaging, even though it was confusing at times with all the sci-fi thing going on. there were definitely a lot of things that went way over my head, but i was just there for the vibes lol.
there were also a bit too many footnotes. i didn't particularly for them and some of them didn't even really give anything to the story.
i looooved the short chapters! they made the book fly by for me.
i tend to avoid books about teleportation/clones but this one was actually interesting to follow. i was curious to see how the story wrapped up and, honestly, the ending wasn't my favourite, but i still enjoyed the story for what it was. i'd recommend it!
October 9, 2018
I had no plans to read this. When a debut novel comes out and is as hyped and popular as this one seemed, I assumed it was more of a literary piece. Nope, it was just a good science-fiction story with an exceptional marketing manager.
The fun thing about this book was the science. Well the whole thing was fun to read but I've watched a couple of science programs on this topic so I found it to be interesting. The Punch Escrow itself is a 'transportation' device. You step in a booth, disappear from here and reappear there, kind of like the Star Trek transporters. Fun fact - this is theoretically possible. An atom can disappear from here and appear somewhere else. In the story, people now take this science for granted but this is not what is happening. Everyone has been scammed in the worst way.
If you like a 'government is out to get us' type story with some fun science fiction, I would recommend this.
The fun thing about this book was the science. Well the whole thing was fun to read but I've watched a couple of science programs on this topic so I found it to be interesting. The Punch Escrow itself is a 'transportation' device. You step in a booth, disappear from here and reappear there, kind of like the Star Trek transporters. Fun fact - this is theoretically possible. An atom can disappear from here and appear somewhere else. In the story, people now take this science for granted but this is not what is happening. Everyone has been scammed in the worst way.
If you like a 'government is out to get us' type story with some fun science fiction, I would recommend this.
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October 5, 2017
It is the year 2147, and the safest way of transportation is teleporting. There are some religious fanatics trying to boycott this since they believe teleportation is killing people. Joel Byron works training AI's to make them more 'human'. His marriage is in danger, so Joel and his wife plan a trip to Costa Rica. During the teleportation there is a terrorist attack and something fails when it is Joel's turn, resulting in him remaining in the the departing room... but there is also a copy of himself that appeared in Costa Rica. After the incident, the transport company is trying to kill Joel, but why? And is this related to his wife's job, since she is working for the transport company?
I thoroughly enjoyed this book! This is one of those sci-fi books that makes you think and will stay with you for a while after it is finished. What is it that makes us human? Is cloning or duplicating a way of creating human beings or just an aberration? These and other related questions popped in my head while listening to this book, after seeing the implications involved in the teleporting proposed by Klein.
The book is written in first person, from the point of view of Joel, the one who stayed at NY, and the one who first realizes that he is being chased by the transport company. It is written as a memoir, in which he relates what happens to him and where he puzzles together the events affecting the other characters. Apart from Joel, the characters are not fully developed, but as he is talking to us, it is easy to connect to him and understand his actions and motivations. Due to his job, which I found amazing, he will try to trick some AI's in his way to try to save his wife and reach his doppelganger.
The narration was very well done, and I especially enjoyed Matthew Mercer's singingof Karma Chamaleon, so much that I found myself singing along at the top of my lungs. Mercer really became Joel Byron and delivered impressive character interpretations. He gave different voices, accents, and styles to all the characters in the book. I had a small issue though, with one of the characters and his wife Costa Rica, since both sounded quite similar to me (same accent and similar tone). Since the husband's voice was supposed to be electronic, a subtle sound effect would have helped here. For the rest it was a top notch narration, with a spotless audio production.
I genuinely loved this book, the ideas behind, and its execution. I think the innumerable hypothesis that sci-fi makes possible are a great way of exploring, experimenting, and make us think t of the box. Whenever a book makes me think twice I consider it a success.
I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Tal M. Klein. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book! This is one of those sci-fi books that makes you think and will stay with you for a while after it is finished. What is it that makes us human? Is cloning or duplicating a way of creating human beings or just an aberration? These and other related questions popped in my head while listening to this book, after seeing the implications involved in the teleporting proposed by Klein.
The book is written in first person, from the point of view of Joel, the one who stayed at NY, and the one who first realizes that he is being chased by the transport company. It is written as a memoir, in which he relates what happens to him and where he puzzles together the events affecting the other characters. Apart from Joel, the characters are not fully developed, but as he is talking to us, it is easy to connect to him and understand his actions and motivations. Due to his job, which I found amazing, he will try to trick some AI's in his way to try to save his wife and reach his doppelganger.
The narration was very well done, and I especially enjoyed Matthew Mercer's singingof Karma Chamaleon, so much that I found myself singing along at the top of my lungs. Mercer really became Joel Byron and delivered impressive character interpretations. He gave different voices, accents, and styles to all the characters in the book. I had a small issue though, with one of the characters and his wife Costa Rica, since both sounded quite similar to me (same accent and similar tone). Since the husband's voice was supposed to be electronic, a subtle sound effect would have helped here. For the rest it was a top notch narration, with a spotless audio production.
I genuinely loved this book, the ideas behind, and its execution. I think the innumerable hypothesis that sci-fi makes possible are a great way of exploring, experimenting, and make us think t of the box. Whenever a book makes me think twice I consider it a success.
I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Tal M. Klein. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.
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