History Literature / MichaelStrogoff

The Tartars have risen in rebellion in far-East Russia and cut the telegraph lines; they are helped by Russian traitor Ivan Ogareff, who plans to take Irkutsk and kill the royal family in revenge. Without the telegraph the Tsar Alexander II has no other means to alert his brother the Great-Duke in Irkutsk, so he sends Michael Strogoff, a 30-year-old Siberian courier from Omsk. Michael Strogoff will have to travel for five weeks to Siberia, under a false identity, to bring a secret message to the Great-Duke, warning him of Ivan Ogareff's treason.

* CripplingTheCompetition: Micheel Strogoff is blinded by having his eyes exposed to a heated iron by his foes.

-->''"You made a good choice there, General," said the Czar.''
-->''"I think so, sire," replied General Kissoff; "and your majesty may be sure that Michael Strogoff will do all that a man can do."''
-->''"He is indeed a man," said the Czar.''

''En route'', he meets Nadia Fedor, who is travelling east to join her father in political exile in Siberia, Harry Blount, reporter for the Daily Telegraph, and Alcide Jolivet, reporting for his "cousin Madeleine". His travels bring him close to his mother Marfa, but he's not allowed to even recognize her - nothing can detract him from his secret mission.

You can read this book [[https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Michael_Strogoff here]].

* AsTheGoodBookSays: Blount quotes Literature/TheBible in the telegraph to keep the line for himself during a battle between Tatars and Russians. When his turn comes, Jolivet prefers song lyrics.

* HordesFromTheEast:
** Tartars, led by Feofar Khan, are invading Russian Siberia, plundering and taking prisoners.
*** It would rather be "Hordes from the ''West''" from Irkutsk's point of view.

** Titular character, full stop. He's from Omsk, Siberia and is able to appear stoic, [[spoiler:to the point of behaving as if he was [[ObfuscatingDisability effectively blinded by the Tartars]] even though he has still his sight]].

* MyCountryRightOrWrong:
** The Czar is certain no political exile would [[LesCollaborateurs collaborate]] with [[HordesFromTheEast Tartars]], [[spoiler:and was right, given they volunteer in the HomeGuard defending Irkutsk]].

* {{Whatevermancy}}: [[spoiler:Feofar Khan's chaplain used a Literature/{{Koran}} to search, by bibliomancy or ''tal'', which punishment should befall on Strogoff]]:

''Michael Strogoff: The Courier of the Czar'' (''Michel Strogoff'') is a book written by Creator/JulesVerne and published in 1876.

* PlaceWorseThanDeath: {{Averted|Trope}}: Siberia is showed as harsh, liveable.

The novel was adapted for the stage by Jules Verne himself in 1880. Since then there have been a number of film versions, starting with an American (1914) and a Franco-German (1926) silent version. The 1935 Franco-German co-production ''Der Kurier des Zaren''[=/=]''Michel Strogoff'' starred the Austrian actor Adolf Wohlbrück, who soon afterwards emigrated to England and reprised the role of Michael Strogoff in ''The Soldier and the Lady'' (1936) under his new name Anton Walbrook. Other film productions starred Curd Jürgens (1956 and 1961), John Philip Law (1971), and Hardy Krüger jr. (1999). A Franco-German-Austrian [[Series/MichelStrogoff TV adaptation]] starring Raimund Harmstorf was produced in 1975.

'''''Michael Strogoff: The Courier of the Czar''''' (''Michel Strogoff'') is a book written by JulesVerne and published in 1876.

* PenalColony: Siberia is used as this by ImperialRussia:

* [[spoiler:ObfuscatingDisability: Michael Strogoff was not blinded by the Tartars, but keeps the pretence because Ivan Ogareff let him see the secret message he had been carrying - which means he can still complete his mission.]]

* {{Cossacks}}: The titular character is one.

* ImperialRussia

* UsefulNotes/{{Romani}}: [[spoiler:They spy for Feofar, led by Sangarre]].

An [[Series/MichelStrogoff adaptation]] for French TV was produced in 1975.

* AsTheGoodBookSays: Blount quotes Literature/TheBible in the telegraph to keep the line for himself during a battle between Tartars and Russians. When his turn comes, Jolivet prefers song lyrics.

* GenreShift: For Verne. This book is not a science-fiction one, unlike the other books written by Verne.

* ValuesDissonance: The narrator links Ogareff's treason to the fact he's half-Asian.

It tells the story of Michael Strogoff, a 30-year-old Siberian courier from Omsk, who has been mandated by Tzar Alexander III with travelling for five weeks in Siberia under the false identity of the merchant Nicholas Korpanoff and bringing a secret message to his brother, the Great-Duke, warning him Ivan Ogareff, transported in Siberia for sedition, who is helping the Tartars with taking Irkutsk and the remainder of Siberia and wants revenge against the Imperial family and thus projects to kill him.

''En route'', he meets Nadia Fedor, daughter of Basil Fedor, Livonian political exilee in Siberia, Harry Blount, reporter for the Daily Telegraph, and Alcide Jolivet, reporting for his "cousin Madeleine", and Marfa, his mother he's not allowed to even recognize.

He meets also Ogareff, who recognizes him and want to hit him with a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knout knut]], quickly caught by Strogoff, [[ATasteOfTheLash who hits him with his whip instead]].

One day, during his travel, he is captured by Tartars..

* AsTheGoodBookSays: Jolivet quotes Literature/TheBible in the telegraph while keeping the Tartars at bay.

* EyeScream: {{Subverted|Trope}}: [[spoiler:Michael Strogoff is subjected to this by the Tartars [[AndShowItToYou in front of his mother]] but keep his sight thanks to his tears protecting his eyes from the hot blade]].
* GenreShift: This book is not a science-fiction one, unlike the other books written by Verne.

*** It would rather be "Hordes from the ''West''" from Irkutsh's point of view.

* IntrepidReporter: Harry Blount, reporter for the Daily Telegraph, and Alcide Jolivet, reporting for his "cousin Madeleine", traverse Siberia.

** The Czar is certain no political exilee would [[LesCollaborateurs collaborate]] with [[HordesFromTheEast Tartars]], [[spoiler:and was right, given they volunteer in the HomeGuard defending irkutsk]].
* ObfuscatingDisability: [[spoiler:Michael Strogoff eigned being effectively blinded by the Tartars until he proved able to read the letter confiec to him]].

* PlaceWorseThanDeath: {{Averted|Trope}}: Siberia is showed as liveable.

* ATasteOfTheLash: [[spoiler:Ogareff wants to hit the hero with his knut [[HoistByHisOwnPetard but receives the blows himself instead]]]].
* UsefulNotes/{{Romani}}: [[spoiler:They spy for Feofar, diredted by Sangarre]].
* ValuesDissonance: The narrator links Ogareff's treason to the fact he's half-Asian.
* {{Whatevermancy}}: [[spoiler:Feofar Khan's chaplin used a Literature/{{Koran}} to search, by bibliomancy or ''tal'', which punishment should befall on Strogoff]]:

It tells the story of Michael Strogoff, a 30-year-old Siberian courier from Omsk, who has been mandated by Tzar Alexandre III with travelling for five weeks in Siberia under the false identity of the merchant Nicholas Korpanoff and bringing a secret message to his brother, the Great-Duke, warning him Ivan Ogareff, transported in Siberia for sedition, who is helping the Tartars with taking Irkutsk and the remainder of Siberia and wants revenge against the Imperial family and thus projects to kill him.

* HappilyEverAfter:[[spoiler:Strogoff marries Nadia]].

** The Csar is certain no political exilee would [[LesCollaborateurs collaborate]] with [[HordesFromTheEast Tartars]], [[spoiler:and was right, given they volunteer in the HomeGuard defending irkutsk]].

* {{Whatevermancy}}: [[spoiler:Feofar Khan's chaplin used a Literature/{{Koran}} to serarch, by bibliomancy or ''tal'', which punishment should befall on Strogoff]]:

** There's entire Mughal hordes]] wanting to invade Russia, led by Feofar Khan.

* AsTheGoodBookSays: Jolivet quotes TheBible in the telegraph while keeping the Tartars at bay.

* EyeScream: [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]]: [[spoiler:Michael Strogoff is subjected to this by the Tartars [[AndShowItToYou in front of his mother]] but keep his sight thanks to his tears protecting his eyes from the hot blade]].