diff --git a/build.gradle b/build.gradle
index 1c1bcd5d..96e8db20 100644
--- a/build.gradle
+++ b/build.gradle
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ import java.util.zip.ZipFile
 
 apply plugin: 'java'
 apply plugin: 'maven'
-version="2.23"
+version="2.24"
 
 targetCompatibility = 1.7
 sourceCompatibility = 1.7
diff --git a/pom.xml b/pom.xml
index 93216ff6..ec667ed0 100644
--- a/pom.xml
+++ b/pom.xml
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
     <modelVersion>4.0.0</modelVersion>
     <groupId>de.ruedigermoeller</groupId>
     <artifactId>fst</artifactId>
-    <version>2.23</version>
+    <version>2.24</version>
 
     <description>a fast java serialization drop in-replacement + some serialization based utils (Structs, OffHeap Memory)</description>
     <url>https://code.google.com/p/fast-serialization/</url>
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/nustaq/serialization/FSTDecoder.java b/src/main/java/org/nustaq/serialization/FSTDecoder.java
index 5214427c..23de6fb1 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/nustaq/serialization/FSTDecoder.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/nustaq/serialization/FSTDecoder.java
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@ public interface FSTDecoder {
     double readFDouble() throws IOException;
     float readFFloat() throws IOException;
     byte readFByte() throws IOException;
+    int readIntByte() throws IOException;
     long readFLong() throws IOException;
     char readFChar() throws IOException;
     short readFShort() throws IOException;
@@ -40,7 +41,7 @@ public interface FSTDecoder {
     int getInputPos();
     void moveTo(int position);
     void setInputStream(InputStream in);
-    void ensureReadAhead(int bytes);
+    int ensureReadAhead(int bytes); // might signal eof by returning -1, depends on decoder impl though
 
     void reset();
     void resetToCopyOf(byte[] bytes, int off, int len);
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/nustaq/serialization/FSTObjectInput.java b/src/main/java/org/nustaq/serialization/FSTObjectInput.java
index 337f43a5..5fde7611 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/nustaq/serialization/FSTObjectInput.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/nustaq/serialization/FSTObjectInput.java
@@ -243,7 +243,7 @@ public Object readObject() throws ClassNotFoundException, IOException {
 
     @Override
     public int read() throws IOException {
-        return getCodec().readFByte();
+        return getCodec().readIntByte();
     }
 
     @Override
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/nustaq/serialization/coders/FSTBytezDecoder.java b/src/main/java/org/nustaq/serialization/coders/FSTBytezDecoder.java
index 019602fc..d28a380e 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/nustaq/serialization/coders/FSTBytezDecoder.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/nustaq/serialization/coders/FSTBytezDecoder.java
@@ -61,17 +61,18 @@ public FSTBytezDecoder(FSTConfiguration conf) {
     }
 
     byte tmp[];
-    public void ensureReadAhead(int bytes) {
+    public int ensureReadAhead(int bytes) {
         if ( inputStream != null ) {
             if ( pos+bytes > readUntil ) {
-                readNextInputChunk(bytes);
+                return readNextInputChunk(bytes);
             }
         } else if ( pos+bytes > input.length() ) {
-//            throw FSTBufferTooSmallException.Instance;
+            return -1;
         }
+        return 0;
     }
 
-    protected void readNextInputChunk(int bytes) {
+    protected int readNextInputChunk(int bytes) {
         try {
             int toRead = Math.max(Integer.MAX_VALUE, bytes);
             if ( inputStream instanceof ByteArrayInputStream ) {
@@ -89,10 +90,14 @@ protected void readNextInputChunk(int bytes) {
                 }
                 input.set(pos,tmp,0,read);
                 readUntil = pos+read;
-            }
+                return read;
+            } else if ( read == -1 )
+                return -1;
+            // fixme: should loop in case read == 0
         } catch (IOException e) {
             throw FSTUtil.rethrow(e);
         }
+        return 0;
     }
 
     char chBufS[];
@@ -237,6 +242,14 @@ public final byte readFByte() throws IOException {
         return input.get(pos++);
     }
 
+    @Override
+    public int readIntByte() throws IOException {
+        final int res = ensureReadAhead(1);
+        if ( res == -1 )
+            return -1;
+        return input.get(pos++) & 0xff;
+    }
+
     @Override
     public long readFLong() throws IOException {
         return readPlainLong();
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/nustaq/serialization/coders/FSTMinBinDecoder.java b/src/main/java/org/nustaq/serialization/coders/FSTMinBinDecoder.java
index 5ae54791..ccc617c5 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/nustaq/serialization/coders/FSTMinBinDecoder.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/nustaq/serialization/coders/FSTMinBinDecoder.java
@@ -131,6 +131,11 @@ public byte readFByte() throws IOException {
         return (byte) input.readInt();
     }
 
+    @Override
+    public int readIntByte() throws IOException {
+        return (int) input.readInt();
+    }
+
     @Override
     public long readFLong() throws IOException {
         return input.readInt();
@@ -202,7 +207,8 @@ public void setInputStream(InputStream in) {
     }
 
     @Override
-    public void ensureReadAhead(int bytes) {
+    public int ensureReadAhead(int bytes) {
+        return 0;
     }
 
     @Override
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/nustaq/serialization/coders/FSTStreamDecoder.java b/src/main/java/org/nustaq/serialization/coders/FSTStreamDecoder.java
index 97a78e76..234f10c1 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/nustaq/serialization/coders/FSTStreamDecoder.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/nustaq/serialization/coders/FSTStreamDecoder.java
@@ -45,8 +45,9 @@ public FSTStreamDecoder(FSTConfiguration conf) {
         }
     }
 
-    public void ensureReadAhead(int bytes) {
+    public int ensureReadAhead(int bytes) {
         input.ensureReadAhead(bytes);
+        return 0; // checking for eof too expensive ..
     }
 
     char chBufS[];
@@ -249,6 +250,14 @@ public final byte readFByte() throws IOException {
         return input.buf[input.pos++];
     }
 
+    @Override
+    public final int readIntByte() throws IOException {
+        input.ensureReadAhead(1);
+        if ( input.isFullyRead() )
+            return -1;
+        return input.buf[input.pos++] & 0xff;
+    }
+
     @Override
     public long readFLong() throws IOException {
         input.ensureReadAhead(9);
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/nustaq/serialization/util/FSTInputStream.java b/src/main/java/org/nustaq/serialization/util/FSTInputStream.java
index 4d5ff2ee..7b98edd2 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/nustaq/serialization/util/FSTInputStream.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/nustaq/serialization/util/FSTInputStream.java
@@ -55,6 +55,10 @@ public void initFromStream(InputStream in) {
         readNextChunk(in);
     }
 
+    public boolean isFullyRead() {
+        return fullyRead && pos >= count;
+    }
+
     public void readNextChunk(InputStream in) {
         int read;
         try {
diff --git a/src/test/ser/SpecialsTest.java b/src/test/ser/SpecialsTest.java
index 5149f723..36ed5cea 100644
--- a/src/test/ser/SpecialsTest.java
+++ b/src/test/ser/SpecialsTest.java
@@ -9,11 +9,8 @@
 import javax.security.auth.Subject;
 import javax.swing.text.html.HTMLDocument;
 import javax.swing.text.html.HTMLEditorKit;
-import java.io.File;
-import java.io.IOException;
-import java.io.Serializable;
+import java.io.*;
 import java.math.BigDecimal;
-import java.net.Inet6Address;
 import java.net.InetAddress;
 import java.util.Collections;
 import java.util.HashSet;
@@ -85,6 +82,36 @@ public void test( FSTConfiguration conf, Serializable toTest ) {
     }
 
 
+    @Test
+    public void testReadByte() throws IOException {
+
+        final ByteArrayOutputStream baos = new ByteArrayOutputStream();
+
+        final ByteArrayOutputStream fstbaos = new ByteArrayOutputStream();
+
+        ObjectOutputStream oout = new ObjectOutputStream(baos);
+        writebytes(baos,oout);
+
+        FSTObjectOutput fsto = new FSTObjectOutput(fstbaos);
+        writebytes(fstbaos,fsto);
+
+        ObjectInputStream oin = new ObjectInputStream(new ByteArrayInputStream(baos.toByteArray()));
+        FSTObjectInput fstin = new FSTObjectInput(new ByteArrayInputStream(fstbaos.toByteArray()));
+        int rd;
+        while( (rd=oin.read()) != -1 ) {
+            Assert.assertTrue(rd == fstin.read() );
+        }
+        Assert.assertTrue( fstin.read() == -1 );
+    }
+
+    private void writebytes(ByteArrayOutputStream baos, ObjectOutput oout) throws IOException {
+        int written[] = {  1, -13, 13, 127, 128, 129, -127, -128, -129, -1, 99, 199, };
+        for (int i = 0; i < written.length; i++) {
+            oout.write(written[i]);
+        }
+        oout.close();
+    }
+
     @Test
     public void main() throws Exception {
         boolean succ = true;