The Punch Escrow

A hard-science-fiction book by Tal M. Klein

Dubbed the “next Ready Player One,” by former Warner Brothers President Greg Silverman, and now in film development at Lionsgate.

"Featuring themes similar to Blake Crouch’s Dark Matter, the dense sci-fi feel of a Michael Crichton thriller and clever Douglas Adams-like charm, the book posits an intriguing future that is both inviting and horrific." ―Brian Truitt, USA TODAY

"It's hard to say enough good things about this hard-science future thriller with humor and heart―an excellent debut." Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"Fans of hard sf and time travel will enjoy Klein’s imaginative debut." Booklist

It'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―the world’s most powerful corporation, in a world controlled by corporations.

Joel Byram spends his days training artificial-intelligence engines to act more human and trying to salvage his deteriorating marriage. He’s pretty much an everyday twenty-second century 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.

Properties
Movie & TV
Sold
Foreign Lang. (DE)
Sold
Audiobook
Sold
Audible
World English
Foreign Lang.
Book Comps
Movie Comps
Accolades
Felicia Day, founder of Geek & Sundry
An alt-futuristic hard-science thriller with twists and turns you'll never see coming. I couldn't put it down.
Robert Kroese, author of Starship Grifters and The Big Sheep
The Punch Escrow will have you rooting for its plucky, sarcastic hero as he bounces between religious fanatics, secret agents, corporate hacks and megalomaniacs in a quest to get his life back.