Sprayfly

At the end of Book 1, Michel Strogoff, travelling under the false name of Nicholas Korpanoff, is captured by the Tartars and taken prisoner. However, when Ivan Ogareff, the russian traitor arrives at the prisoners camp, Michel Strogoff is at great risk of being discovered as the courrier of the Czar; designated to travel from Moscou to Irkoutsk in great haste to deliver an important warning to the Czar’s brother, the Grand Duke.
The second book in the two part story tells the tale of Michel Strogoff’s escape and continued efforts to reach Irkoutsk, the Siberian capital, with his travelling companian Nadia Fedorovna, before the traitor Ivan Ogareff arrives there and liberates the city to the tartar army.
This sequel is no less a masterpiece than the first book and I was certainly not disappointed. There are some sad moments but there are some equally happy moments. Un unexpected twist at the end of the book left me thinking for quite a while and I realised just how much of a genius Verne is.
Go out and read this book- preferably in French, but in English if you must.

After a reading marathon, I have finished the first book of Jules Verne’s ‘Michel Strogoff- De Moscou à Irkoutsk’. Devotedly, I have immediately progressed onto the second book in the series of two.
Admittedly, the prospect of reading what could be considered as ‘more difficult’ French literature did scare me slightly. Apart from ‘Jean de Florette’, ‘Manon des Sources’ and ‘La Gloire de mon Pere’ this is the only true french literature I have read. I must admit that until now I have taken the easier route of reading translated English literature such as ‘Harry Potter’ and ‘The Lord of the Rings’. Whilst, strictly speaking, the language in these books is not necessarily much easier than Verne’s writing, I feel that I now need to move on to some real French literature if I wish to further progress.
The first book of two takes you through the journey of a man called Michel Strogoff, a courrier of the Russian czar.
It so happens that Siberia is under invasion by the Tartars and a political exhile called Ivan Ogareff is on the run. Michel Strogoff must run a very important errand for the czar and will have to travel all the way from Moscow to Irkoutsk to deliver an important warning to the czar’s brother, the Grand Duke. However, if Ivan Ogareff, a fearsome general, manages to escape to Siberia and join the tartar army then the grand duke is in great peril, for Ogareff has his mind set on killing the Duke. Strogoff must leave russia and travel across the vast Siberian plain into invaded territory by chariot, by horse or by foot. He is in great peril and at all costs, he must not be recognised. Will Michel Strogoff reach Irkoutsk before the tartar army? Will he survive all the perils and obstacles in his path?
This is a truly excellent piece of literature that will have you on the edge of your seat all the way. Well worth a read. I’ll let you know how I get on with the sequel.

After many weeks of anguish for French Webradios, the whole community is able to breathe again- for a while.
After studying the law texts, they have come to the conclusion that at this moment, the law does not concern themselves.Consequently, the ‘antidrm’ forum and blog have been taken down until further notice.
However, a syndicate has been formed from many of the webradios that were part of the ‘antidrm’ movement and they hope to continue taking part in the debates.
The next reunion will take place in January 2006 and the collective will reflect on their current situation. However, the Webradio community still feels threatened by the reforms- which are certainly not over yet..

A quick update:
Libération have published a new and longer article on the DRM law which will be voted on the

20th of December

If you haven’t already signed the petition, please visit the antidrm website here
There is also many links relating to the DRM site included at the end of the article.
It is well worth reading.
Thanks for your support