"Der Courier des Czaar (Michael Strogoff)" by Jules Verne is a novel published in 1876. When Tatar rebels cut telegraph lines during an uprising in Siberia, courier Michael Strogoff must deliver the Czar's urgent message to Irkutsk—a perilous 5,523-kilometer journey through enemy territory. Traveling incognito, he faces the treacherous Ivan Ogareff, a vengeful traitor allied with Tatar forces. Along the way, Strogoff encounters fellow travelers, endures torture and blinding, and races against time to save the Czar's brother and the besieged city.