Michael Strogoff

"Michael Strogoff" (AKA "Courier of the Czar"), written in 1876, is the 14th novel in Jules Verne’s Extraordinary Voyages cycle, his largest and most influential body of published work. It was written specially for Czar Alexander II of Russia’s visit to Paris in 1876, and tells the story of a young courier’s perilous journey across Russia to Eastern Siberia in order to warn the Czar’s brother of an impending Tartar invasion. Like all of Verne’s work, this captivating adventure novel was meticulously researched, as is evident in the close attention to detail in the descriptions of Russian and Siberian geography.

In this tale of intrigue set in Russia, a traitor has inspired the fierce Feofar Khan to invade Siberia and foment a rebellion. A sinister plot to assassinate the Czars brother, the Grand Duke, is discovered but all telegraph lines have been cut. Only one of the Czars couriers is qualified to handle the dangerous and arduous mission to warn the Siberian Governor General of the impending invasion, Michael Strogoff.