"By dawn at least half the members of the Kelly gang were wounded and it was then the creature appeared from behind the police lines. It was nothing human that much was evident. It had no head but a very long thick neck and an immense chest and it walked with a slow ungainly gait directly into the hail of bullets. Shot after shot was fired without effect and the figure continued to advance on the police, stopping every now and then to move its headless neck slowly and mechanically around. I am the bloody monitor, my boys."
Peter Carey's novel "True History Of The Kelly Gang" is one of a legendary figure that goes beyond all borders and symbolises tragedy, perseverance and freedom and is truly a modern classic. It reaches readers through well-crafted and imaginative language and its prospective view of realism in Australia during the colonial era. Using some of the writing techniques of popular classics of the nineteenth century, such as the themes and the style of writing, Carey has created a stunning novel, which will remain a classic for many years to come.
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