diff --git a/markdown.awk b/markdown.awk
index 6e016f4..20adfcb 100644
--- a/markdown.awk
+++ b/markdown.awk
@@ -160,17 +160,6 @@ function is_token(str, i, tok) {
 	return substr(str, i, length(tok)) == tok;
 }
 
-function escape_char(char) {
-    if (char == "<")
-		return "&lt;";
-    if (char == ">")
-		return "&gt;";
-	if (char == "&")
-		return "&amp;";
-
-	return char;
-}
-
 function extract_html_tag(str, i,    sstr) {
     sstr=substr(str, i, length(str) - i + 1);
 
@@ -190,6 +179,19 @@ function is_html_tag(str, i,    sstr) {
 	return 1;
 }
 
+function is_escape_sequence(str, i,    sstr) {
+    sstr=substr(str, i, length(str) - i + 1);
+
+	return match(sstr, /^\\[`\\*_{}\[\]()>#.!+-]/);
+}
+
+function escape_text(str) {
+	gsub(/&/, "\\&amp;", str);
+	gsub(/</, "\\&lt;", str);
+	gsub(/>/, "\\&gt;", str);
+	return str;
+}
+
 function parse_line(str,    result, end, i) {
 	#print "block '" str "'"
 	result = ""
@@ -211,8 +213,8 @@ function parse_line(str,    result, end, i) {
 		else if (is_token(str, i, "```")) {
 			end = find(str, "```", i+3);
 			if (end != 0) {
-				result = result "<code>" substr(str, i+3, end - i - 3) "</code>";
-				i = end+1;
+				result = result "<code>" escape_text(substr(str, i+3, end - i - 3)) "</code>";
+				i = end+2;
 			}
 			else {
 				result = result "```";
@@ -221,20 +223,30 @@ function parse_line(str,    result, end, i) {
 		}
 		else if (substr(str, i, 1) == "`") {
 			end = find(str, "`", i+1);
-
+			if (end != 0) {
+				result = result "<code>" escape_text(substr(str, i+1, end - i - 1)) "</code>";
+				i = end+1;
+			}
+			else {
+				result = result "`";
+			}
 		}
 		else if (is_html_tag(str, i)) {
 			tag = extract_html_tag(str, i);
 		    result = result tag;
 			i = i + length(tag) - 1;
 		}
+		else if (is_escape_sequence(str, i)) {
+			result = result escape_text(substr(str, i+1, 1));
+		    i = i + 1;
+		}
 		else {
 			if (substr(str, i, 1) == "\n") {
 				if (length(result) > 0)
 					result = result " ";
 			}
 			else {
-				result = result escape_char(substr(str, i, 1));
+				result = result escape_text(substr(str, i, 1));
 			}
 		}
 	}
@@ -284,7 +296,7 @@ function parse_code(str,    i, lines, result) {
 	if (match(str, /^```.*```$/)) {
 		gsub(/^```/, "", str);
 		gsub(/\n```$/, "", str);
-		return "<pre><code>" str "</code></pre>";
+		return "<pre><code>" escape_text(str) "</code></pre>";
 	}
 	if (match(str, /^    /)) {
 		result = "";
@@ -296,7 +308,7 @@ function parse_code(str,    i, lines, result) {
 			result = result "\n" line;
 		}
 		gsub(/^\n/, "", result);
-		return "<pre><code>" result "</code></pre>";
+		return "<pre><code>" escape_text(result) "</code></pre>";
 	}
 
 	return "";
diff --git a/test.sh b/test.sh
index 056f331..e635597 100755
--- a/test.sh
+++ b/test.sh
@@ -121,12 +121,16 @@ check <<-"EOF"
 first line of code
 
 second line of code
+
+> < &
 ```
 ---
 <pre><code>
 first line of code
 
-second line of code</code></pre>
+second line of code
+
+&gt; &lt; &amp;</code></pre>
 EOF
 
 check <<-"EOF"
@@ -138,6 +142,12 @@ second line of code
 <p>``` first line of code  second line of code</p>
 EOF
 
+check <<-"EOF"
+This is `inline code`
+---
+<p>This is <code>inline code</code></p>
+EOF
+
 check <<-"EOF"
     code
     indented by
@@ -311,5 +321,71 @@ foo <a href="" ></a> bar
 <p>foo <a href="" ></a> bar</p>
 EOF
 
+check <<-"EOF"
+\\
+
+\`
+
+\*
+
+\_
+
+\{
+
+\}
+
+\[
+
+\]
+
+\(
+
+\)
+
+\>
+
+\#
+
+\.
+
+\!
+
+\+
+
+\-
+---
+<p>\</p>
+<p>`</p>
+<p>*</p>
+<p>_</p>
+<p>{</p>
+<p>}</p>
+<p>[</p>
+<p>]</p>
+<p>(</p>
+<p>)</p>
+<p>&gt;</p>
+<p>#</p>
+<p>.</p>
+<p>!</p>
+<p>+</p>
+<p>-</p>
+EOF
+
+check <<-"EOF"
+`This shouldn't be escaped: \*`
+---
+<p><code>This shouldn't be escaped: \*</code></p>
+EOF
+
+check <<-"EOF"
+```
+This shouldn't be escaped: \*
+```
+---
+<pre><code>
+This shouldn't be escaped: \*</code></pre>
+EOF
+
 echo 
 echo "All tests passed"