diff --git a/.gitmodules b/.gitmodules
index 94faa0800..fce3abd86 100644
--- a/.gitmodules
+++ b/.gitmodules
@@ -7,3 +7,21 @@
 [submodule "compiler+runtime/third-party/bpptree"]
 	path = compiler+runtime/third-party/bpptree
 	url = https://github.com/jank-lang/BppTree.git
+[submodule "compiler+runtime/third-party/bdwgc"]
+	path = compiler+runtime/third-party/bdwgc
+	url = https://github.com/jank-lang/bdwgc.git
+[submodule "compiler+runtime/third-party/fmt"]
+	path = compiler+runtime/third-party/fmt
+	url = https://github.com/jank-lang/fmt.git
+[submodule "compiler+runtime/third-party/immer"]
+	path = compiler+runtime/third-party/immer
+	url = https://github.com/jank-lang/immer.git
+[submodule "compiler+runtime/third-party/magic_enum"]
+	path = compiler+runtime/third-party/magic_enum
+	url = https://github.com/jank-lang/magic_enum.git
+[submodule "compiler+runtime/third-party/cli11"]
+	path = compiler+runtime/third-party/cli11
+	url = https://github.com/jank-lang/CLI11.git
+[submodule "compiler+runtime/third-party/libzippp"]
+	path = compiler+runtime/third-party/libzippp
+	url = https://github.com/jank-lang/libzippp.git
diff --git a/compiler+runtime/CMakeLists.txt b/compiler+runtime/CMakeLists.txt
index dba972950..d03b87c0b 100644
--- a/compiler+runtime/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/compiler+runtime/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -13,18 +13,15 @@ set(CMAKE_MODULE_PATH
   ${CMAKE_MODULE_PATH}
   "${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/cmake"
   "${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/cmake/modules"
-  )
+)
 
 # LTO is explicitly not used, since it leads to runtime symbol lookup issues with the JIT.
 set(CMAKE_INTERPROCEDURAL_OPTIMIZATION FALSE)
 
-set(VCPKG_OVERLAY_TRIPLETS "${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/vcpkg-triplet")
-set(VCPKG_TARGET_TRIPLET "x64-clang-static")
-
 project(
     jank
     VERSION 0.1
-    DESCRIPTION "A native Clojure dialect built on LLVM."
+    DESCRIPTION "The native Clojure dialect on LLVM."
     HOMEPAGE_URL "https://jank-lang.org/"
     # C is needed here, due to a clang issue:
     # https://stackoverflow.com/questions/71740678/cmake-error-in-findterminfo-with-clang-15-on-macos
@@ -203,17 +200,22 @@ add_library(
 )
 
 target_include_directories(
-    jank_lib
-    PUBLIC
-    "$<BUILD_INTERFACE:${PROJECT_SOURCE_DIR}/include/cpp>"
+  jank_lib
+  PUBLIC
+  "$<BUILD_INTERFACE:${PROJECT_SOURCE_DIR}/include/cpp>"
 )
 target_include_directories(
-    jank_lib
-    SYSTEM
-    PUBLIC
-    "$<BUILD_INTERFACE:${PROJECT_SOURCE_DIR}/third-party/nanobench/include>"
-    "$<BUILD_INTERFACE:${PROJECT_SOURCE_DIR}/third-party/folly>"
-    "$<BUILD_INTERFACE:${PROJECT_SOURCE_DIR}/third-party/bpptree/include>"
+  jank_lib
+  SYSTEM
+  PUBLIC
+  "$<BUILD_INTERFACE:${PROJECT_SOURCE_DIR}/third-party/nanobench/include>"
+  "$<BUILD_INTERFACE:${PROJECT_SOURCE_DIR}/third-party/folly>"
+  "$<BUILD_INTERFACE:${PROJECT_SOURCE_DIR}/third-party/bpptree/include>"
+  "$<BUILD_INTERFACE:${PROJECT_SOURCE_DIR}/third-party/bdwgc/include>"
+  "$<BUILD_INTERFACE:${PROJECT_SOURCE_DIR}/third-party/immer>"
+  "$<BUILD_INTERFACE:${PROJECT_SOURCE_DIR}/third-party/magic_enum/include/magic_enum>"
+  "$<BUILD_INTERFACE:${PROJECT_SOURCE_DIR}/third-party/cli11/include>"
+  "$<BUILD_INTERFACE:${PROJECT_SOURCE_DIR}/third-party/libzippp/src>"
 )
 target_precompile_headers(
   jank_lib
@@ -225,29 +227,23 @@ set_property(TARGET jank_lib PROPERTY OUTPUT_NAME jank)
 target_compile_features(jank_lib PUBLIC ${jank_cxx_standard})
 target_compile_options(jank_lib PUBLIC ${jank_common_compiler_flags} ${jank_aot_compiler_flags})
 
-find_package(Immer CONFIG REQUIRED)
-find_package(magic_enum CONFIG REQUIRED)
-find_package(fmt CONFIG REQUIRED)
-find_package(Boost REQUIRED COMPONENTS filesystem preprocessor)
-find_package(BDWgc CONFIG REQUIRED)
-find_package(libzippp CONFIG REQUIRED)
-find_package(CLI11 CONFIG REQUIRED)
-find_package(OpenSSL CONFIG REQUIRED)
-#find_package(libassert CONFIG REQUIRED)
+include(FetchContent)
+include(cmake/dependency/bdwgc.cmake)
+include(cmake/dependency/fmt.cmake)
+include(cmake/dependency/libzippp.cmake)
 
-target_include_directories(jank_lib SYSTEM PRIVATE ${Boost_INCLUDE_DIRS})
+find_package(OpenSSL REQUIRED COMPONENTS Crypto)
+find_package(Boost REQUIRED COMPONENTS filesystem)
 
 target_link_libraries(
   jank_lib PRIVATE
-  immer fmt::fmt
-  BDWgc::gc BDWgc::cord BDWgc::gccpp BDWgc::gctba
+  fmt::fmt
+  bdwgc::gc bdwgc::gccpp
   libzippp::libzippp
-  CLI11::CLI11
-  #libassert::assert
   readline
   clangInterpreter
-  Boost::boost
-  $<$<PLATFORM_ID:Darwin>:crypto>
+  Boost::filesystem
+  OpenSSL::Crypto
 )
 
 jank_hook_llvm(jank_lib)
@@ -330,7 +326,7 @@ set_target_properties(nanobench_lib PROPERTIES ENABLE_EXPORTS 1)
 
 # ---- libfolly.a ----
 # Folly is well and truly a pain in the ass to build through its
-# own build system (via vcpkg). It regularly fails to build for me
+# own build system. It regularly fails to build for me
 # on all sorts of standard systems (both Linux and macOS) and jank
 # has been running with custom patches for several months now. After
 # running into compilation issues with it yet again, I've decided to
@@ -366,7 +362,6 @@ target_include_directories(
     SYSTEM
     PUBLIC
     "$<BUILD_INTERFACE:${PROJECT_SOURCE_DIR}/third-party/folly>"
-    ${BOOST_INCLUDE_DIRS}
 )
 
 set_property(TARGET folly_lib PROPERTY OUTPUT_NAME folly)
@@ -382,7 +377,7 @@ set_target_properties(folly_lib PROPERTIES ENABLE_EXPORTS 1)
 
 target_link_libraries(
   folly_lib PUBLIC
-  Boost::preprocessor
+  fmt::fmt
 )
 # ---- libfolly.a ----
 
@@ -402,15 +397,13 @@ target_compile_features(jank_exe PRIVATE ${jank_cxx_standard})
 target_compile_options(jank_exe PUBLIC ${jank_common_compiler_flags} ${jank_aot_compiler_flags})
 target_link_options(jank_exe PRIVATE ${jank_linker_flags})
 
-target_include_directories(jank_exe SYSTEM PRIVATE ${BOOST_INCLUDE_DIRS})
-
 target_link_libraries(
   jank_exe PUBLIC
   ${jank_link_whole_start} jank_lib ${jank_link_whole_end}
   ${jank_link_whole_start} nanobench_lib ${jank_link_whole_end}
   folly_lib
   fmt::fmt
-  Boost::boost Boost::filesystem Boost::system
+  Boost::filesystem
 )
 
 jank_hook_llvm(jank_exe)
@@ -440,8 +433,6 @@ if(jank_tests)
   target_compile_options(jank_test_exe PRIVATE -DDOCTEST_CONFIG_SUPER_FAST_ASSERTS)
   target_link_options(jank_test_exe PRIVATE ${jank_linker_flags})
 
-  target_include_directories(jank_test_exe SYSTEM PRIVATE ${BOOST_INCLUDE_DIRS})
-
   find_package(doctest REQUIRED)
   target_link_libraries(
     jank_test_exe PUBLIC
@@ -449,7 +440,7 @@ if(jank_tests)
     ${jank_link_whole_start} nanobench_lib ${jank_link_whole_end}
     folly_lib
     doctest::doctest
-    Boost::boost Boost::filesystem
+    Boost::filesystem
   )
 
   jank_hook_llvm(jank_test_exe)
diff --git a/compiler+runtime/cmake/dependency/bdwgc.cmake b/compiler+runtime/cmake/dependency/bdwgc.cmake
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..193e50090
--- /dev/null
+++ b/compiler+runtime/cmake/dependency/bdwgc.cmake
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+set(CMAKE_C_FLAGS_OLD "${CMAKE_C_FLAGS}")
+set(CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS_OLD "${CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS}")
+set(BUILD_SHARED_LIBS_OLD ${BUILD_SHARED_LIBS})
+  set(CMAKE_C_FLAGS "${CMAKE_C_FLAGS} -w")
+  set(CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS "${CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS} -w")
+  set(BUILD_SHARED_LIBS OFF)
+  set(enable_cplusplus ON CACHE BOOL "Enable C++")
+  set(build_cord OFF CACHE BOOL "Build cord")
+  set(enable_docs OFF CACHE BOOL "Enable docs")
+  set(enable_throw_bad_alloc_library OFF CACHE BOOL "Enable C++ gctba library build")
+
+  add_subdirectory(third-party/bdwgc)
+
+  unset(enable_cplusplus)
+  unset(build_cord)
+  unset(enable_docs)
+set(CMAKE_C_FLAGS "${CMAKE_C_FLAGS_OLD}")
+set(CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS "${CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS_OLD}")
+set(BUILD_SHARED_LIBS ${BUILD_SHARED_LIBS_OLD})
diff --git a/compiler+runtime/cmake/dependency/fmt.cmake b/compiler+runtime/cmake/dependency/fmt.cmake
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..1baa1e744
--- /dev/null
+++ b/compiler+runtime/cmake/dependency/fmt.cmake
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+set(FMT_DOC OFF CACHE BOOL "Generate docs")
+set(FMT_INSTALL OFF CACHE BOOL "Generate the install target.")
+
+add_subdirectory(third-party/fmt)
+
+unset(FMT_DOC)
+unset(FMT_INSTALL)
diff --git a/compiler+runtime/cmake/dependency/libzippp.cmake b/compiler+runtime/cmake/dependency/libzippp.cmake
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..9fee4b74c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/compiler+runtime/cmake/dependency/libzippp.cmake
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+set(CMAKE_C_FLAGS_OLD "${CMAKE_C_FLAGS}")
+set(CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS_OLD "${CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS}")
+  set(CMAKE_C_FLAGS "${CMAKE_C_FLAGS} -w")
+  set(CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS "${CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS} -w")
+
+  add_subdirectory(third-party/libzippp)
+set(CMAKE_C_FLAGS "${CMAKE_C_FLAGS_OLD}")
+set(CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS "${CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS_OLD}")
diff --git a/compiler+runtime/default.nix b/compiler+runtime/default.nix
index d31c17155..6fa22745b 100644
--- a/compiler+runtime/default.nix
+++ b/compiler+runtime/default.nix
@@ -10,8 +10,6 @@ let
 
   # Deps
   boost = pkgs.callPackage ./nix/boost.nix { };
-  boehmgc = pkgs.callPackage ./nix/boehmgc.nix { };
-  libzippp = pkgs.callPackage ./nix/libzippp.nix { };
   openssl = pkgs.callPackage ./nix/openssl.nix { };
 in
 
@@ -28,17 +26,11 @@ pkgs.llvmPackages_19.stdenv.mkDerivation {
 
   buildInputs = [
     boost
-    boehmgc
-    libzippp
     openssl
     pkgs.doctest
     pkgs.double-conversion
     pkgs.readline
     pkgs.libzip
-    pkgs.immer
-    pkgs.cli11
-    pkgs.magic-enum
-    pkgs.fmt
     pkgs.llvmPackages_19.clang-unwrapped
     pkgs.llvmPackages_19.llvm
   ];
diff --git a/compiler+runtime/doc/build.md b/compiler+runtime/doc/build.md
index d01e1950c..dad390d22 100644
--- a/compiler+runtime/doc/build.md
+++ b/compiler+runtime/doc/build.md
@@ -3,19 +3,19 @@
 For Debian-based distros, this should be all you need:
 
 ```bash
-sudo apt-get install -y curl git git-lfs zip build-essential entr libssl-dev libdouble-conversion-dev pkg-config ninja-build python3-pip cmake debhelper devscripts gnupg zlib1g-dev entr libffi-dev clang libjemalloc-dev libreadline-dev
+sudo apt-get install -y curl git git-lfs zip build-essential entr libssl-dev libdouble-conversion-dev pkg-config ninja-build python3-pip cmake debhelper devscripts gnupg zlib1g-dev entr libffi-dev clang libreadline-dev libzip-dev libbz2-dev doctest-dev libboost-all-dev
 ```
 
 For Arch:
 
 ```bash
-sudo pacman -S git git-lfs clang pkg-config cmake ninja make python3 libffi jemalloc entr
+sudo pacman -S git git-lfs clang pkg-config cmake ninja make python3 libffi entr doctest boost libzip lbzip2
 ```
 
 For macOS, try this:
 
 ```bash
-brew install curl git git-lfs zip entr openssl double-conversion pkg-config ninja python cmake gnupg zlib jemalloc
+brew install curl git git-lfs zip entr openssl double-conversion pkg-config ninja python cmake gnupg zlib doctest boost libzip lbzip2
 ```
 
 Clone the repo as follows:
@@ -27,8 +27,8 @@ git clone --recurse-submodules https://github.com/jank-lang/jank.git
 git submodule update --recursive --init
 ```
 
-## Compiling Cling
-Note that you must compile Cling/Clang/LLVM. This can take an hour or two,
+## Compiling Clang
+Note that you must compile Clang/LLVM. This can take an hour or two,
 depending on your machine. Building jank itself should take a minute or two.
 
 ```
diff --git a/compiler+runtime/include/cpp/jank/prelude.hpp b/compiler+runtime/include/cpp/jank/prelude.hpp
index 565a4966e..b900c1f3b 100644
--- a/compiler+runtime/include/cpp/jank/prelude.hpp
+++ b/compiler+runtime/include/cpp/jank/prelude.hpp
@@ -14,8 +14,6 @@
 
 #include <boost/unordered_map.hpp>
 
-//#include <libassert/assert.hpp>
-
 #include <nanobench.h>
 
 #include <jank/type.hpp>
diff --git a/compiler+runtime/include/cpp/jank/read/parse.hpp b/compiler+runtime/include/cpp/jank/read/parse.hpp
index 7e1db7aaa..7e61bfad0 100644
--- a/compiler+runtime/include/cpp/jank/read/parse.hpp
+++ b/compiler+runtime/include/cpp/jank/read/parse.hpp
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 #pragma once
 
+#include <codecvt>
+
 #include <jank/result.hpp>
 #include <jank/option.hpp>
 #include <jank/read/lex.hpp>
@@ -12,39 +14,16 @@ namespace jank::runtime
 /* TODO: Rename file to processor. */
 namespace jank::read::parse
 {
-  static option<char> get_char_from_literal(native_persistent_string const &sv)
+
+  struct char_parse_error
   {
-    if(sv.size() == 2)
-    {
-      return sv[1];
-    }
-    else if(sv == R"(\newline)")
-    {
-      return '\n';
-    }
-    else if(sv == R"(\space)")
-    {
-      return ' ';
-    }
-    else if(sv == R"(\tab)")
-    {
-      return '\t';
-    }
-    else if(sv == R"(\backspace)")
-    {
-      return '\b';
-    }
-    else if(sv == R"(\formfeed)")
-    {
-      return '\f';
-    }
-    else if(sv == R"(\return)")
-    {
-      return '\r';
-    }
+    native_persistent_string error;
+  };
+
+  result<native_persistent_string, char_parse_error>
+  parse_character_in_base(native_persistent_string const &char_literal, int const base);
 
-    return none;
-  }
+  option<char> get_char_from_literal(native_persistent_string const &s);
 
   struct processor
   {
diff --git a/compiler+runtime/include/cpp/jank/util/escape.hpp b/compiler+runtime/include/cpp/jank/util/escape.hpp
index 42525fe82..e9a58c22f 100644
--- a/compiler+runtime/include/cpp/jank/util/escape.hpp
+++ b/compiler+runtime/include/cpp/jank/util/escape.hpp
@@ -78,7 +78,7 @@ struct fmt::formatter<jank::util::escape_view<S>>
   }
 
   template <typename C>
-  auto format(jank::util::escape_view<S> const &s, C &ctx)
+  auto format(jank::util::escape_view<S> const &s, C &ctx) const
   {
     return s.copy(ctx.out());
   }
diff --git a/compiler+runtime/nix/boehmgc.nix b/compiler+runtime/nix/boehmgc.nix
deleted file mode 100644
index 577da1afc..000000000
--- a/compiler+runtime/nix/boehmgc.nix
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,31 +0,0 @@
-{
-  pkgs ? import (builtins.fetchTarball {
-    url = "https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/archive/75b209227dff3cbfac19f510a62f9446c92beac4.tar.gz";
-    sha256 = "166varzdamn2kkw5zslarzl6026q87wjnss1hlhdsq89hwvfgd2d";
-  }) { },
-}:
-
-let
-  stdenv = pkgs.llvmPackages_19.stdenv;
-  cc = stdenv.cc.cc;
-in
-
-stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
-  pname = "boehm-gc";
-  version = "8.2.8";
-
-  src = pkgs.fetchFromGitHub {
-    owner = "ivmai";
-    repo = "bdwgc";
-    rev = "v${version}";
-    hash = "sha256-UQSLK/05uPal6/m+HMz0QwXVII1leonlmtSZsXjJ+/c=";
-  };
-
-  nativeBuildInputs = [
-    pkgs.cmake
-  ];
-
-  cmakeFlags = [
-    "-Denable_cplusplus=ON"
-  ];
-}
diff --git a/compiler+runtime/nix/boost.nix b/compiler+runtime/nix/boost.nix
index d63485f05..3b296c54d 100644
--- a/compiler+runtime/nix/boost.nix
+++ b/compiler+runtime/nix/boost.nix
@@ -1,16 +1,8 @@
 {
-  pkgs ? import (builtins.fetchTarball {
-    url = "https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/archive/75b209227dff3cbfac19f510a62f9446c92beac4.tar.gz";
-    sha256 = "166varzdamn2kkw5zslarzl6026q87wjnss1hlhdsq89hwvfgd2d";
-  }) { },
+  pkgs,
 }:
 
-let
-  stdenv = pkgs.llvmPackages_19.stdenv;
-  cc = stdenv.cc.cc;
-in
-
-stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
+pkgs.stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
   pname = "boost";
   version = "1.86.0";
 
diff --git a/compiler+runtime/nix/libzippp.nix b/compiler+runtime/nix/libzippp.nix
deleted file mode 100644
index 0e72e10e8..000000000
--- a/compiler+runtime/nix/libzippp.nix
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,32 +0,0 @@
-{
-  pkgs ? import (builtins.fetchTarball {
-    url = "https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/archive/75b209227dff3cbfac19f510a62f9446c92beac4.tar.gz";
-    sha256 = "166varzdamn2kkw5zslarzl6026q87wjnss1hlhdsq89hwvfgd2d";
-  }) { },
-}:
-
-let
-  stdenv = pkgs.llvmPackages_19.stdenv;
-  cc = stdenv.cc.cc;
-in
-
-stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
-  pname = "libzippp";
-  version = "7.1-1.10.1";
-
-  src = pkgs.fetchFromGitHub {
-    owner = "ctabin";
-    repo = pname;
-    rev = "${pname}-v${version}";
-    hash = "sha256-ffX4UuDKMgSYwIecmJnj+XLnjsMwUbK6rraOk0z4Ma8=";
-  };
-
-  nativeBuildInputs = [
-    pkgs.cmake
-  ];
-
-  buildInputs = [
-    pkgs.zlib
-    pkgs.libzip
-  ];
-}
diff --git a/compiler+runtime/nix/openssl.nix b/compiler+runtime/nix/openssl.nix
index 40208d3fc..8bc6f6ab5 100644
--- a/compiler+runtime/nix/openssl.nix
+++ b/compiler+runtime/nix/openssl.nix
@@ -1,16 +1,8 @@
 {
-  pkgs ? import (builtins.fetchTarball {
-    url = "https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/archive/75b209227dff3cbfac19f510a62f9446c92beac4.tar.gz";
-    sha256 = "166varzdamn2kkw5zslarzl6026q87wjnss1hlhdsq89hwvfgd2d";
-  }) { },
+  pkgs,
 }:
 
-let
-  stdenv = pkgs.llvmPackages_19.stdenv;
-  cc = stdenv.cc.cc;
-in
-
-stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
+pkgs.stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
   pname = "openssl";
   version = "3.3.2";
 
diff --git a/compiler+runtime/nix/readline.nix b/compiler+runtime/nix/readline.nix
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..29355afa0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/compiler+runtime/nix/readline.nix
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+{
+  pkgs,
+}:
+
+pkgs.readline
diff --git a/compiler+runtime/src/cpp/jank/read/parse.cpp b/compiler+runtime/src/cpp/jank/read/parse.cpp
index 396bd2348..ed965884c 100644
--- a/compiler+runtime/src/cpp/jank/read/parse.cpp
+++ b/compiler+runtime/src/cpp/jank/read/parse.cpp
@@ -15,6 +15,81 @@ namespace jank::read::parse
 {
   using namespace jank::runtime;
 
+  result<native_persistent_string, char_parse_error>
+  parse_character_in_base(native_persistent_string const &char_literal, int const base)
+  {
+    try
+    {
+      size_t chars_processed{};
+      auto const codepoint(std::stol(char_literal, &chars_processed, base));
+
+      /* `std::stol` will ignore any character that lies outside of
+       * the `base` digits range.
+       *
+       * For base `8`, valid digits are {0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7}.
+       * For base `16`, valid digits are {0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, a, b, c, d, e, f, A, B, C, D, E, F}
+       *
+       * If `std::stol` doesn't process all the
+       * characters in `char_literal`, we'll consider it as invalid.
+       *
+       * Refer: https://en.cppreference.com/w/cpp/string/basic_string/stol
+       */
+      if(chars_processed != char_literal.size())
+      {
+        return err("Invalid unicode digit");
+      }
+
+      std::wstring_convert<std::codecvt_utf8<char32_t>, char32_t> converter;
+
+      native_persistent_string const converted(converter.to_bytes(codepoint));
+
+      if(converter.converted() != 1)
+      {
+        return err("Out of range");
+      }
+
+      return ok(converted);
+    }
+    catch(std::exception const &e)
+    {
+      return err(e.what());
+    }
+  }
+
+  option<char> get_char_from_literal(native_persistent_string const &s)
+  {
+    if(s.size() == 2)
+    {
+      return s[1];
+    }
+    else if(s == R"(\newline)")
+    {
+      return '\n';
+    }
+    else if(s == R"(\space)")
+    {
+      return ' ';
+    }
+    else if(s == R"(\tab)")
+    {
+      return '\t';
+    }
+    else if(s == R"(\backspace)")
+    {
+      return '\b';
+    }
+    else if(s == R"(\formfeed)")
+    {
+      return '\f';
+    }
+    else if(s == R"(\return)")
+    {
+      return '\r';
+    }
+
+    return none;
+  }
+
   native_bool
   processor::object_source_info::operator==(processor::object_source_info const &rhs) const
   {
@@ -350,6 +425,26 @@ namespace jank::read::parse
 
     if(character.is_none())
     {
+      /* Hexadecimal unicode */
+      if(sv[0] == '\\' && (sv[1] == 'u' || sv[1] == 'o'))
+      {
+        auto const base{ (sv[1] == 'u' ? 16 : 8) };
+        auto const char_bytes(parse_character_in_base(sv.substr(2), base));
+
+        if(char_bytes.is_ok())
+        {
+          return object_source_info{ make_box<obj::character>(char_bytes.expect_ok()),
+                                     token,
+                                     token };
+        }
+        else
+        {
+          return err(
+            error{ token.pos,
+                   fmt::format("Error reading character `{}`: {}", sv, char_bytes.expect_err().error) });
+        }
+      }
+
       return err(error{ token.pos, fmt::format("invalid character literal `{}`", sv) });
     }
 
diff --git a/compiler+runtime/src/cpp/jank/runtime/obj/character.cpp b/compiler+runtime/src/cpp/jank/runtime/obj/character.cpp
index 7e92ddff6..5aa513c5e 100644
--- a/compiler+runtime/src/cpp/jank/runtime/obj/character.cpp
+++ b/compiler+runtime/src/cpp/jank/runtime/obj/character.cpp
@@ -3,24 +3,31 @@
 
 namespace jank::runtime
 {
-  static native_persistent_string get_literal_from_char(char const ch)
+  static native_persistent_string get_literal_from_char_bytes(native_persistent_string const &bytes)
   {
-    switch(ch)
+    if(bytes.size() == 1)
     {
-      case '\n':
-        return R"(\newline)";
-      case ' ':
-        return R"(\space)";
-      case '\t':
-        return R"(\tab)";
-      case '\b':
-        return R"(\backspace)";
-      case '\f':
-        return R"(\formfeed)";
-      case '\r':
-        return R"(\return)";
-      default:
-        return fmt::format(R"(\{})", ch);
+      switch(bytes[0])
+      {
+        case '\n':
+          return R"(\newline)";
+        case ' ':
+          return R"(\space)";
+        case '\t':
+          return R"(\tab)";
+        case '\b':
+          return R"(\backspace)";
+        case '\f':
+          return R"(\formfeed)";
+        case '\r':
+          return R"(\return)";
+        default:
+          return fmt::format(R"(\{})", bytes[0]);
+      }
+    }
+    else
+    {
+      return fmt::format(R"(\{})", bytes);
     }
   }
 
@@ -57,7 +64,7 @@ namespace jank::runtime
 
   native_persistent_string obj::character::to_code_string() const
   {
-    return get_literal_from_char(data[0]);
+    return get_literal_from_char_bytes(data);
   }
 
   native_hash obj::character::to_hash() const
diff --git a/compiler+runtime/test/cpp/jank/read/parse.cpp b/compiler+runtime/test/cpp/jank/read/parse.cpp
index 2ff1bfcea..ac7d675ef 100644
--- a/compiler+runtime/test/cpp/jank/read/parse.cpp
+++ b/compiler+runtime/test/cpp/jank/read/parse.cpp
@@ -193,6 +193,107 @@ namespace jank::read::parse
         CHECK(r.expect_ok().unwrap().start
               == lex::token{ 9, 10, lex::token_kind::character, "\\backspace" });
       }
+
+      SUBCASE("Hex unicode")
+      {
+        SUBCASE("Valid")
+        {
+          lex::processor lp{ R"(\u1234 \u5678 \u90ab \ucdef \uABCD \uEFa0)" };
+          processor p{ lp.begin(), lp.end() };
+
+          size_t offset{};
+          for(native_persistent_string const &ch :
+              { "\\u1234", "\\u5678", "\\u90ab", "\\ucdef", "\\uABCD", "\\uEFa0" })
+          {
+            auto const r(p.next());
+            CHECK(equal(r.expect_ok().unwrap().ptr,
+                        make_box<obj::character>(
+                          parse_character_in_base(ch.substr(2), 16).expect_ok())));
+
+            auto const len(ch.size());
+            CHECK(r.expect_ok().unwrap().start
+                  == lex::token{ offset, len, lex::token_kind::character, ch });
+            CHECK(r.expect_ok().unwrap().end == r.expect_ok().unwrap().start);
+
+            /* +1 for space */
+            offset += len + 1;
+          }
+        }
+
+        SUBCASE("Invalid length")
+        {
+          lex::processor lp{ R"(\u123456 \uabcdef \u12abf5)" };
+          processor p{ lp.begin(), lp.end() };
+
+          for(size_t i{}; i < 3; ++i)
+          {
+            auto const r(p.next());
+            CHECK(r.is_err());
+          }
+        }
+
+        SUBCASE("Invalid unicode characters")
+        {
+          lex::processor lp{ R"(\uabcg \u120x \uza19 \u1Gab)" };
+          processor p{ lp.begin(), lp.end() };
+
+          for(size_t i{}; i < 4; ++i)
+          {
+            auto const r(p.next());
+            CHECK(r.is_err());
+          }
+        }
+      }
+
+      SUBCASE("Octal unicode")
+      {
+        SUBCASE("Valid")
+        {
+          lex::processor lp{ R"(\o012 \o345 \o670)" };
+          processor p{ lp.begin(), lp.end() };
+
+          size_t offset{};
+          for(native_persistent_string const &ch : { "\\o012", "\\o345", "\\o670" })
+          {
+            auto const r(p.next());
+            CHECK(equal(r.expect_ok().unwrap().ptr,
+                        make_box<obj::character>(
+                          parse_character_in_base(ch.substr(2), 8).expect_ok())));
+
+            auto const len(ch.size());
+            CHECK(r.expect_ok().unwrap().start
+                  == lex::token{ offset, len, lex::token_kind::character, ch });
+            CHECK(r.expect_ok().unwrap().end == r.expect_ok().unwrap().start);
+
+            /* +1 for space */
+            offset += len + 1;
+          }
+        }
+
+        SUBCASE("Invalid length")
+        {
+          lex::processor lp{ R"(\o12345677 \o23007673323)" };
+          processor p{ lp.begin(), lp.end() };
+
+          for(size_t i{}; i < 2; ++i)
+          {
+            auto const r(p.next());
+            CHECK(r.is_err());
+          }
+        }
+
+        SUBCASE("Invalid ocatal character")
+        {
+          lex::processor lp{ R"(\o128 \o962 \oAaa \oxf0)" };
+          processor p{ lp.begin(), lp.end() };
+
+          for(size_t i{}; i < 4; ++i)
+          {
+            auto const r(p.next());
+            CHECK(r.is_err());
+          }
+        }
+      }
     }
 
     TEST_CASE("String")
diff --git a/compiler+runtime/third-party/bdwgc b/compiler+runtime/third-party/bdwgc
new file mode 160000
index 000000000..bc13560d3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/compiler+runtime/third-party/bdwgc
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Subproject commit bc13560d331f23906afb6a2a89194ba41460a099
diff --git a/compiler+runtime/third-party/cli11 b/compiler+runtime/third-party/cli11
new file mode 160000
index 000000000..5a03ee583
--- /dev/null
+++ b/compiler+runtime/third-party/cli11
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Subproject commit 5a03ee58384ce18b6b3de5a2256e18f5ef103633
diff --git a/compiler+runtime/third-party/fmt b/compiler+runtime/third-party/fmt
new file mode 160000
index 000000000..4b8e2838f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/compiler+runtime/third-party/fmt
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Subproject commit 4b8e2838f0767793e060135f4824c4114e285678
diff --git a/compiler+runtime/third-party/immer b/compiler+runtime/third-party/immer
new file mode 160000
index 000000000..df6ef46d9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/compiler+runtime/third-party/immer
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Subproject commit df6ef46d97e1fe81f397015b9aeb32505cef653b
diff --git a/compiler+runtime/third-party/libzippp b/compiler+runtime/third-party/libzippp
new file mode 160000
index 000000000..28c853872
--- /dev/null
+++ b/compiler+runtime/third-party/libzippp
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Subproject commit 28c8538720030cea0a60622a2b9efe47fa9251ce
diff --git a/compiler+runtime/third-party/magic_enum b/compiler+runtime/third-party/magic_enum
new file mode 160000
index 000000000..a72a0536c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/compiler+runtime/third-party/magic_enum
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Subproject commit a72a0536c716fdef4f029fb43e1fd7e7b3d9ac9b
diff --git a/compiler+runtime/vcpkg-triplet/x64-clang-static.cmake b/compiler+runtime/vcpkg-triplet/x64-clang-static.cmake
deleted file mode 100644
index 4406f229b..000000000
--- a/compiler+runtime/vcpkg-triplet/x64-clang-static.cmake
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,9 +0,0 @@
-set(VCPKG_TARGET_ARCHITECTURE x64)
-set(VCPKG_CRT_LINKAGE dynamic)
-set(VCPKG_LIBRARY_LINKAGE static)
-set(VCPKG_BUILD_TYPE release)
-
-set(VCPKG_CMAKE_SYSTEM_NAME ${CMAKE_HOST_SYSTEM_NAME})
-#set(VCPKG_CXX_FLAGS "${VCPKG_CXX_FLAGS} -stdlib=libc++")
-set(VCPKG_CXX_FLAGS "${VCPKG_CXX_FLAGS}")
-set(VCPKG_C_FLAGS "${VCPKG_C_FLAGS}")
diff --git a/compiler+runtime/vcpkg.json b/compiler+runtime/vcpkg.json
deleted file mode 100644
index 584d0609c..000000000
--- a/compiler+runtime/vcpkg.json
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,28 +0,0 @@
-{
-  "name": "jank",
-  "version-semver": "0.1.0",
-  "dependencies": [
-    "bdwgc",
-    "boost-algorithm",
-    "boost-filesystem",
-    "boost-smart-ptr",
-    "boost-variant",
-    "boost-preprocessor",
-    "cli11",
-    "fmt",
-    "immer",
-    "libassert",
-    "libzippp",
-    "magic-enum",
-    "readline"
-  ],
-  "default-features": [],
-  "features": {
-    "tests": {
-      "description": "Dependencies for testing",
-      "dependencies": [
-        "doctest"
-      ]
-    }
-  }
-}