The 14th novel of the Voyages Extraordinaries is an old favorite from my childhood. This one is also a straightforward adventure story, with no science fiction elements, but a good and dramatic one. I'm not alone in my appreciation: Literary critic Leonard S. Davidow wrote, "Jules Verne has written no better book than this, in fact it is deservedly ranked as one of the most thrilling tales ever written." Perhaps a bit hyperbolic, but it has always seemed to me that, because of his eye-catching role as a SF precursor, people tend to overlook that Verne was also an excellent adventure writer, in his 19th-century style.

It's worth mentioning again that the science lectures that we got in some of his first novels, the ones that were part of the flavor of his writing but could also interrupt the pace of the story, have been absent for a while at this point. Maybe it's because we have had several adventure stories with no speculative elements. The next novel after this one will be a good opportunity to test whether this change in style is permanent, because Off on a Comet is 100% science fiction.

We'll see, but for the moment let's come back to Michael Strogoff's adventures in Siberia. I'm reading this in 2022, shortly after the invasion of Ukraine, so perhaps cheering for a Russian hero is bad timing, but I figure that 19th century Russians are not to blame for Putin's crimes.


What is it about?: Tartars invaders led by the Emir of Bokhara, with the encouragement and help of Russian traitor Ivan Ogareff, are overrunning Siberia. The Russian garrisons and cities in their path do not have the strength to stop them. In Moscow, the Czar is marshalling the forces of the vast empire for a counter-attack. However, he must get a message of vital importance to his brother the Arch Duke who is currently in Irkutsk, the capital of Eastern Siberia, warning him of a plot to assassinate him and betray the city into the invaders' hands. Since telegraph communications are cut, the Czar calls upon his best courier, Captain Michael Strogoff, to secretly get the message pass the Siberian frontier and across thousands of miles filled with natural obstacles and fierce invaders.


After a novel told in first person, we go back to Verne's normal third person narration. This is a 2-volume novel and, even though the start of the story is comparatively sedate, it has a good pace. We'll follow Michael Strogoff as he is entrusted with his mission and travels through the European part of Russia while the country prepares for a war. The real dangers, however, will start once he reaches the Ural Mountains that mark the border with Siberia. Despite the setting, do not expect a snow-filled tale like Captain Hatteras or The Fur Country. This one takes place in the summer.

I think Verne finds a good balance here between the travelogue and the menace of enemy agents. Verne did not know Siberia in person, but for background descriptions he documented himself by reading travellers' accounts and he even sent a copy of the manuscript to the Russian writer Ivan Turgenev, for comments about the accuracy. The maps provided with the novel are very useful to follow the characters' progress.

Apart from Michael Strogoff, who is relentless in his fulfilment of his mission, we get some strong female characters, which is not always the case in Verne's novels. Not strong physically, but strong in spirit. We have Nadia, Michael's traveling companion, who is trying to get to Irkutsk to reunite with his exiled father. She looks like a damsel in distress but proves to have an iron will. There's Marfa, Michael's mother, exemplary in her determination not to betray his son's mission. On the villain's side, we have Sangarre, the Bohemian spy working for Ivan Ogareff.

For comic relief, we have the two Western journalists who are also traveling through Siberia, covering the invasion: Harry Blount, the English journalist for the Daily Telegraph, and Alcide Jolivet, French correspondent for his "cousin Madeleine" (the jocular term he uses so as not to reveal the name of the newspaper with which he corresponds). The contrasting personalities of the two journalists, their rivalry (although they'll eventually become friends) and their sometimes wildly divergent perspectives provide the humor.

As I said, there's no speculative element here, but Verne is Verne. He does have one of his usual dramatic twists, and a scientific phenomenon (the Leidenfrost effect) plays a role. As is often the case with Verne's novels, there's a climactic ending.


Enjoyment factor: Very high. Pacing is good, and the suffering and determination of the title character makes for a dramatic adventure.


See all my Verne reviews here: https://www.sffworld.com/forum/threads/reading-vernes-voyages-extraordinaires.58...

Merged review:

The 14th novel of the Voyages Extraordinaries is an old favorite from my childhood. This one is also a straightforward adventure story, with no science fiction elements, but a good and dramatic one. I'm not alone in my appreciation: Literary critic Leonard S. Davidow wrote, "Jules Verne has written no better book than this, in fact it is deservedly ranked as one of the most thrilling tales ever written." Perhaps a bit hyperbolic, but it has always seemed to me that, because of his eye-catching role as a SF precursor, people tend to overlook that Verne was also an excellent adventure writer, in his 19th-century style.

It's worth mentioning again that the science lectures that we got in some of his first novels, the ones that were part of the flavor of his writing but could also interrupt the pace of the story, have been absent for a while at this point. Maybe it's because we have had several adventure stories with no speculative elements. The next novel after this one will be a good opportunity to test whether this change in style is permanent, because Off on a Comet is 100% science fiction.

We'll see, but for the moment let's come back to Michael Strogoff's adventures in Siberia. I'm reading this in 2022, shortly after the invasion of Ukraine, so perhaps cheering for a Russian hero is bad timing, but I figure that 19th century Russians are not to blame for Putin's crimes.


What is it about?: Tartars invaders led by the Emir of Bokhara, with the encouragement and help of Russian traitor Ivan Ogareff, are overrunning Siberia. The Russian garrisons and cities in their path do not have the strength to stop them. In Moscow, the Czar is marshalling the forces of the vast empire for a counter-attack. However, he must get a message of vital importance to his brother the Arch Duke who is currently in Irkutsk, the capital of Eastern Siberia, warning him of a plot to assassinate him and betray the city into the invaders' hands. Since telegraph communications are cut, the Czar calls upon his best courier, Captain Michael Strogoff, to secretly get the message pass the Siberian frontier and across thousands of miles filled with natural obstacles and fierce invaders.


After a novel told in first person, we go back to Verne's normal third person narration. This is a 2-volume novel and, even though the start of the story is comparatively sedate, it has a good pace. We'll follow Michael Strogoff as he is entrusted with his mission and travels through the European part of Russia while the country prepares for a war. The real dangers, however, will start once he reaches the Ural Mountains that mark the border with Siberia. Despite the setting, do not expect a snow-filled tale like Captain Hatteras or The Fur Country. This one takes place in the summer.

I think Verne finds a good balance here between the travelogue and the menace of enemy agents. Verne did not know Siberia in person, but for background descriptions he documented himself by reading travellers' accounts and he even sent a copy of the manuscript to the Russian writer Ivan Turgenev, for comments about the accuracy. The maps provided with the novel are very useful to follow the characters' progress.

Apart from Michael Strogoff, who is relentless in his fulfilment of his mission, we get some strong female characters, which is not always the case in Verne's novels. Not strong physically, but strong in spirit. We have Nadia, Michael's traveling companion, who is trying to get to Irkutsk to reunite with his exiled father. She looks like a damsel in distress but proves to have an iron will. There's Marfa, Michael's mother, exemplary in her determination not to betray his son's mission. On the villain's side, we have Sangarre, the Bohemian spy working for Ivan Ogareff.

For comic relief, we have the two Western journalists who are also traveling through Siberia, covering the invasion: Harry Blount, the English journalist for the Daily Telegraph, and Alcide Jolivet, French correspondent for his "cousin Madeleine" (the jocular term he uses so as not to reveal the name of the newspaper with which he corresponds). The contrasting personalities of the two journalists, their rivalry (although they'll eventually become friends) and their sometimes wildly divergent perspectives provide the humor.

As I said, there's no speculative element here, but Verne is Verne. He does have one of his usual dramatic twists, and a scientific phenomenon (the Leidenfrost effect) plays a role. As is often the case with Verne's novels, there's a climactic ending.


Enjoyment factor: Very high. Pacing is good, and the suffering and determination of the title character makes for a dramatic adventure.


See all my Verne reviews here: https://www.sffworld.com/forum/threads/reading-vernes-voyages-extraordinaires.58... ( )

Jeden z nejlepších románů Julese Vernea se odehrává v 60. letech 19. století v době fiktivního tatarského povstání proti carské vládě. Během povstání dojde k přerušení telegrafického spojení mezi evropskou částí Ruska a jeho asijskými guberniemi.

Michail Strogov je kurýr, kterého car vyslal do Irkutska, aby tamního velkoknížete, carova bratra, varoval před zradou Ivana Ogareva, který chce Irkutsk vydat Tatarům a velkoknížete zavraždit. Během své cesty se Strogov setkává a dále všemi možnými způsoby dopravy cestuje s dívkou Naďou, která se snaží dostat do Irkutska za svým otcem, který tam žije ve vyhnanství. Cestou jsou však zajati Tatary a na příkaz emíra je Strogov rozžhaveným mečem oslepen.

Nakonec však ze zajetí unikne a po strastiplné cestě dorazí do Irkutska. Stihne to ale včas, nebo se Ogarevovi již podařilo dokonat svoji zradu? A nebyl by to ani Verne, aby do knihy nepropašoval zajímavý fyzikální úkaz, který přispěje k rozuzlení děje.

La historia se desarrolla en la Rusia zarista, a principios del siglo XIX, cuando el país es atacado por legiones tártaras. Necesitando que el zar envíe un mensaje al Gran Duque de Siberia, he aquí, el soberano pide un voluntario para presentarse. Un hombre leal y valiente se ofrece como voluntario para la misión. Su nombre es Michael Strogoff, Capitán de la Oficina de Correos del Zar. Saliendo de Moscú con el mensaje en la mano, Miguel recorre las estepas rusas, pasando también por oscuros bosques. En su camino, además de peligros naturales como una tormenta, osos y cruzar un río, tiene ante sí a Ogareff, un espía tártaro infiltrado entre los rusos y con planes para eliminarlo.

Rusland, ca 1860
Indeholder "1. En fest i 'Det ny Palads'", "2. Russere og tatarer", "3. Mikael Strogov", "4. Fra Moskva til Nishnij-Novgorod", "5. En forordning i to paragraffer", "6. Broder og søster", "7. Ned ad Volga", "8. Op ad Kama", "9. I trojka dag og nat", "10. Et uvejr i Uralbjergene", "11. Rejsende i nød", "12. En udfordring", "13. Pligten fremfor alt", "14. Mor og søn", "15. Barabá-steppen", "16. En sidste anstrengelse", "17. Vers og viser", "18. En tatarlejr", "19. Alcide Jolivets indstilling", "20. Slag for slag", "21. Triumftoget", "22. En ven på landevejen", "23. Overgangen over Jenissei", "24. Et skæbnesvangert møde", "25. På steppen", "26. Baikal og Angara", "27. Mellem to bredder", "28. Irkútsk", "29. En kurér fra zaren", "30. Natten mellem den 5. og 6. oktober", "31. Slutning".

Zar Alexander den anden (Александр II Николаевич) er truet af tatarerne, der angriber grænserne. Ved en fest får han besked om at kommunikationslinierne til Omsk ikke længere virker. ???

Historien overdriver hæmningsløst truslen fra tatarer, men er geografisk set korrekt og historien er spændende fortalt. Den regnes af mange for Jules Vernes bedste bog. ( )

Los 5,523 kilómetros que el valiente y abnegado correo del zar tiene que recorrer para trasladarse desde Moscú hasta Irkutsk, y llevar un mensaje del cual depende la vida del gran duque, hermano del zar, está plagados de peligros y las aventuras que protagoniza Miguel Strogoff en compañía de una joven viajera que se dirige a Siberia para reunirse con su padre, deparan al lector tan grandes emociones que en ningún momento decae el interés, haciéndole imposible abandonar su lectura.