diff --git a/integration/index.js b/integration/index.js
index 2eb4160b..10758fa5 100644
--- a/integration/index.js
+++ b/integration/index.js
@@ -45,13 +45,51 @@ describe('Basic Functionality', function() {
     });
   });
 
-  describe('will get correct block data', function() {
+  describe('get blocks by hash', function() {
 
     blockData.forEach(function(data) {
       var block = bitcore.Block.fromString(data);
       it('block ' + block.hash, function(done) {
         bitcoind.getBlock(block.hash, function(err, response) {
-          assert(response === data, 'incorrect block data for ' + block.hash);
+          assert(response.toString('hex') === data, 'incorrect block data for ' + block.hash);
+          done();
+        });
+      });
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe('get blocks by height', function() {
+
+    var knownHeights = [
+      [0, '000000000019d6689c085ae165831e934ff763ae46a2a6c172b3f1b60a8ce26f'],
+      [1, '00000000839a8e6886ab5951d76f411475428afc90947ee320161bbf18eb6048'],
+      [100000,'000000000003ba27aa200b1cecaad478d2b00432346c3f1f3986da1afd33e506'],
+      [314159, '00000000000000001bb82a7f5973618cfd3185ba1ded04dd852a653f92a27c45']
+    ];
+
+    knownHeights.forEach(function(data) {
+      it('block at height ' + data[0], function(done) {
+        bitcoind.getBlock(data[0], function(err, response) {
+          var block = bitcore.Block.fromBuffer(response);
+          block.hash.should.equal(data[1]);
+          done();
+        });
+      });
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe.skip('get the chain', function() {
+
+    var heights = [];
+    for (var i = 364599; i >= 0 ; i--) {
+      heights.push(i);
+    }
+
+    heights.forEach(function(height) {
+      it('block at height ' + height, function(done) {
+        bitcoind.getBlock(height, function(err, response) {
+          var block = bitcore.Block.fromBuffer(response);
+          console.log(block.hash);
           done();
         });
       });
diff --git a/src/bitcoindjs.cc b/src/bitcoindjs.cc
index 3611d043..28599bad 100644
--- a/src/bitcoindjs.cc
+++ b/src/bitcoindjs.cc
@@ -189,6 +189,8 @@ struct async_block_data {
   std::string err_msg;
   std::string hash;
   int64_t height;
+  char* buffer;
+  uint32_t size;
   CBlock cblock;
   CBlockIndex* cblock_index;
   Eternal<Function> callback;
@@ -835,35 +837,52 @@ static void
 async_get_block(uv_work_t *req) {
   async_block_data* data = static_cast<async_block_data*>(req->data);
 
-  if (data->height != -1) {
-    CBlockIndex* pblockindex = chainActive[data->height];
-    CBlock cblock;
-    if (ReadBlockFromDisk(cblock, pblockindex)) {
-      data->cblock = cblock;
-      data->cblock_index = pblockindex;
-    } else {
-      data->err_msg = std::string("Block not found.");
-    }
-    return;
-  }
-
+  CBlockIndex* pblockindex;
   std::string strHash = data->hash;
   uint256 hash(strHash);
 
-  if (mapBlockIndex.count(hash) == 0) {
-      data->err_msg = std::string("Block not found.");
+  if (data->height != -1) {
+    pblockindex = chainActive[data->height];
   } else {
-
-    CBlock block;
-    CBlockIndex* pblockindex = mapBlockIndex[hash];
-
-    if(!ReadBlockFromDisk(block, pblockindex)) {
-      data->err_msg = std::string("Can't read block from disk");
+    if (mapBlockIndex.count(hash) == 0) {
+      data->err_msg = std::string("Block not found.");
+      return;
     } else {
-      data->cblock = block;
-      data->cblock_index = pblockindex;
+      pblockindex = mapBlockIndex[hash];
     }
   }
+
+  const CDiskBlockPos& pos = pblockindex->GetBlockPos();
+
+  // We can read directly from the file, and pass that, we don't need to
+  // deserialize the entire block only for it to then be serialized
+  // and then deserialized again in JavaScript
+
+  // Open history file to read
+  CAutoFile filein(OpenBlockFile(pos, true), SER_DISK, CLIENT_VERSION);
+  if (filein.IsNull()) {
+    data->err_msg = std::string("ReadBlockFromDisk: OpenBlockFile failed");
+    return;
+  }
+
+  // Get the actual file, seeked position and rewind a uint32_t
+  FILE* blockFile = filein.release();
+  long int filePos = ftell(blockFile);
+  fseek(blockFile, filePos - sizeof(uint32_t), SEEK_SET);
+
+  // Read the size of the block
+  uint32_t size = 0;
+  fread(&size, sizeof(uint32_t), 1, blockFile);
+
+  // Read block
+  char* buffer = (char *)malloc(sizeof(char) * size);
+  fread((void *)buffer, sizeof(char), size, blockFile);
+  fclose(blockFile);
+
+  data->buffer = buffer;
+  data->size = size;
+  data->cblock_index = pblockindex;
+
 }
 
 static void
@@ -883,19 +902,17 @@ async_get_block_after(uv_work_t *req) {
       node::FatalException(try_catch);
     }
   } else {
-    const CBlock& cblock = data->cblock;
     CBlockIndex* cblock_index = data->cblock_index;
 
-    CDataStream ssBlock(SER_NETWORK, PROTOCOL_VERSION);
-    ssBlock << cblock;
-    std::string strHex = HexStr(ssBlock.begin(), ssBlock.end());
+    Local<Value> rawNodeBuffer = node::Buffer::New(isolate, data->buffer, data->size);
 
-    Local<String> jsblock = NanNew<String>(strHex);
+    delete data->buffer;
+    data->buffer = NULL;
 
     const unsigned argc = 2;
     Local<Value> argv[argc] = {
       Local<Value>::New(isolate, NanNull()),
-      Local<Value>::New(isolate, jsblock)
+      rawNodeBuffer
     };
     TryCatch try_catch;
     cb->Call(isolate->GetCurrentContext()->Global(), argc, argv);