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Children of the Stones #1
Children of the Stones
No-one can escape from the power of the stones...
The standing stones encircled the village of Milbury. There were 53 stones. When Matthew and his father, Adam, an astrophysicist, arrived in Milbury, there were 53 people in the village.
Something strange was happening to the people in the village - something connected to mysterious power sources from the past.
Who was controlling this power and why? Matthew and Adam knew that all the answers lay in the stones...
The standing stones encircled the village of Milbury. There were 53 stones. When Matthew and his father, Adam, an astrophysicist, arrived in Milbury, there were 53 people in the village.
Something strange was happening to the people in the village - something connected to mysterious power sources from the past.
Who was controlling this power and why? Matthew and Adam knew that all the answers lay in the stones...
189 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1977
13 people are currently reading
221 people want to read
About the author
Jeremy Burnham
8 books1 followerJeremy is a British screenwriter, actor and author who has appeared in, and written for the TV series ‘The Avengers‘, he has also written for many British TV programmes including ‘Minder‘ and ‘Inspector Morse‘. Jeremy made an appearance in many west-end plays, including ‘Hippo Dancing’ and ‘The Rehearsal’, he is also a co-author of ‘Children of the Stones‘, and has recently published a ‘Return to the Stones‘.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
December 2, 2022
I think this story was written after a 1970s BBC children's drama, I expect the drama was good, I imagine I would have really enjoyed it, the ideas are good but it didn't read well.
The story is suspenseful and interesting, a father and son arrive in a close knit community to research a stone circle that seems to have some scientific interest. The father and son feel growing unease as they suspect the villagers are in some sort of cult. We enjoyed the mystery, the characters and trying to work out what could be happening but felt the climax was resolved fairly simplistically and we were left feeling unsure what lay behind the happenings. The stone circle felt quite reminiscent of the stone circle in Elidor but there was enough other interest to make this an fairly enjoyable read.
The story is suspenseful and interesting, a father and son arrive in a close knit community to research a stone circle that seems to have some scientific interest. The father and son feel growing unease as they suspect the villagers are in some sort of cult. We enjoyed the mystery, the characters and trying to work out what could be happening but felt the climax was resolved fairly simplistically and we were left feeling unsure what lay behind the happenings. The stone circle felt quite reminiscent of the stone circle in Elidor but there was enough other interest to make this an fairly enjoyable read.
May 28, 2025
Although I absolutely adored the German translation of Jeremy Burnham and Trevor Ray's 1977 science fiction story Children of the Stones (which is a novelisation of a British television series which I have not watched but which I now want to since I have heard that the series is actually much better than the novelisation) when I read Im Bann der uralten Steine in 1983 (the year of its publication) during a summer visit to Germany, sorry, but reading, but encountering Children of the Stones for the first time in 2025 (on Open Library) has been more than a trifle disappointing and has been rather frustrating both thematics and contents wise (and as such is also not really all that nostalgic for me either, or rather is only very partially and sporadically so).
Now I do admit that I have indeed enjoyed the general British setting, the fictional town of Milbury with its circle of menhirs that are depicted by Burnham and Ray as being considerably older than Stonehenge as well as the main protagonists of widowed astrophysicist professor Adam Brake and his son Matthew as much in Children of the Stones as when I read Im Bann der uralten Steine as a teenager, with the plot for Children of the Stones still being engaging, mysterious and creepy without being too terrifying for older adult me. And yes, I also appreciate how Mr. Hendrick is (at least in my humble opinion) shown by Jeremy Burnham and Trevor Ray as villainous but actually seemingly a least to some extent having the villagers' best interests in mind no matter how misguided, dangerous and in fact horrifying and soul-killing his intentions and philosophies might be, and with a positive ending for the Brakes but also with a bit of a cliffhanger for Children of the Stones in so far that Milbury could actually be caught in a time loop and that the same scenario from Children of the Stones might be about to start, to happen again.
But my enjoyment of the setting and the general storyline of Children of the Stones notwithstanding, how Burnham and Ray combine astrophysics with paganism and magic does not really work all that well for me and is basically pretty ridiculously sillily fantastical, something that did not bother me in 1983 when I read Im Bann der uralten Steine but which does majorly frustrate me in 2025 (and that the ley lines combined with the black hole in the constellation Ursa Major wreaking continuous havoc and repetitive havoc in and for Milbury and its inhabitants is not textually interesting and is also neither good enough fantasy nor decent science fiction), and not to mention that how Jeremy Burnham and Trevor Ray in Children of the Stones have Milbury students suddenly transition from being really horrible at mathematics to being mathematical geniuses when they become "enlightened" and controlled by Mr. Hendrick, for me this is not only kind of strangely ridiculous but it also (at least in my opinion) hugely trivialises mathematics as a subject.
Not a bad story is Children of the Stones and to an extent decently fun and pleasantly creepy (even today, even in 2025), but well, the rather hokum science (combined with magical paganism etc.) truly does grate quite a bit, makes much of Children of the Stones rather tedious and annoying for me personally and as such only a low three star rating (and which I also think is pretty hugely generous for Children of the Stones).
Now I do admit that I have indeed enjoyed the general British setting, the fictional town of Milbury with its circle of menhirs that are depicted by Burnham and Ray as being considerably older than Stonehenge as well as the main protagonists of widowed astrophysicist professor Adam Brake and his son Matthew as much in Children of the Stones as when I read Im Bann der uralten Steine as a teenager, with the plot for Children of the Stones still being engaging, mysterious and creepy without being too terrifying for older adult me. And yes, I also appreciate how Mr. Hendrick is (at least in my humble opinion) shown by Jeremy Burnham and Trevor Ray as villainous but actually seemingly a least to some extent having the villagers' best interests in mind no matter how misguided, dangerous and in fact horrifying and soul-killing his intentions and philosophies might be, and with a positive ending for the Brakes but also with a bit of a cliffhanger for Children of the Stones in so far that Milbury could actually be caught in a time loop and that the same scenario from Children of the Stones might be about to start, to happen again.
But my enjoyment of the setting and the general storyline of Children of the Stones notwithstanding, how Burnham and Ray combine astrophysics with paganism and magic does not really work all that well for me and is basically pretty ridiculously sillily fantastical, something that did not bother me in 1983 when I read Im Bann der uralten Steine but which does majorly frustrate me in 2025 (and that the ley lines combined with the black hole in the constellation Ursa Major wreaking continuous havoc and repetitive havoc in and for Milbury and its inhabitants is not textually interesting and is also neither good enough fantasy nor decent science fiction), and not to mention that how Jeremy Burnham and Trevor Ray in Children of the Stones have Milbury students suddenly transition from being really horrible at mathematics to being mathematical geniuses when they become "enlightened" and controlled by Mr. Hendrick, for me this is not only kind of strangely ridiculous but it also (at least in my opinion) hugely trivialises mathematics as a subject.
Not a bad story is Children of the Stones and to an extent decently fun and pleasantly creepy (even today, even in 2025), but well, the rather hokum science (combined with magical paganism etc.) truly does grate quite a bit, makes much of Children of the Stones rather tedious and annoying for me personally and as such only a low three star rating (and which I also think is pretty hugely generous for Children of the Stones).
October 28, 2020
Children of the Stones was a 1977 landmark kids series. It was never repeated. The story is John Wyndham like. Astrophysicist Adam Brake arrives with his son, Matthew at the tiny village of Millbury. He's there for to research the strange stone circle that encompasses the entire village. Stranger still are the weirdly cheerful villagers with their fixed smiles and greeting of 'Happy Day'. Shades of the Wicker Man abound when they start to understand that the circle itself holds people captive. And the mysterious Hendrick, a prominent figure in the village, is behind it all.
Children of the Stones is intelligent, atmospheric and genuinely unnerving tale. Not only that but it incorporates complex concepts. Things like 'Time Circles', 'Psychic Bubbles' and 'Time Rifts'- tricky subjects for adults let alone a story supposedly aimed at children.
Children of the Stones is intelligent, atmospheric and genuinely unnerving tale. Not only that but it incorporates complex concepts. Things like 'Time Circles', 'Psychic Bubbles' and 'Time Rifts'- tricky subjects for adults let alone a story supposedly aimed at children.
August 8, 2022
I absolutely loved this show, and the book is a pretty straight-forward novelization of the mini-series. It's a great read for YA fans or fans of adult folk horror. The plot is firmly set in that 1970s "psychic powers abound" kind of universe, but the story is just great.
September 16, 2020
This was an absolute treat! CHILDREN OF THE STONES was a mini-series for children's TV in 1977 which I adored. The show has stuck with me ever since. Despite the show being fondly remembered by a lot of people, it was never repeated. Having not seen it since it was televised, I was surfing for a DVD and found the writers of the show had adapted it into a book. The book stands up very well. The story itself is very much a John Wyndham style story featuring father and son, creepy villagers and their kids. Combining paganism, science and standing stones, it makes for great sci-fi story. I think one of the reasons it resonated with me at the time is that it's very adult in its telling. It doesn't talk down to its intended audience. The only criticism that could be leveled at the book is some of the science is hokum but it's such a fun book, I don't care. :-)
May 5, 2017
I read this book because I saw the BBC TV mini-series, which I enjoyed very much, back in the early '80s. The book seems to be based on the series, and not the other way around, which is why it was so exactly like the series as I remembered it. Great story of ancient magic. Does anyone else remember the TV series?
March 10, 2022
pleasantly ominous! love a not so happy ending in children's fiction
January 22, 2015
Era il 1977 (anno più anno meno) quando la Rai trasmise uno sceneggiato per ragazzi dal titolo "Prigionieri delle pietre", prodotto e ambientato in Inghilterra.
Una storia angosciante, ma per questo rimasta impressa nella mia memoria... al punto da averla inseguita fino a quando non sono riuscita, pochi anni fa, ad entrare in possesso del DVD.
Nonostante il passaggio di quasi tre decenni, la sola nota vintage è rappresentata dagli abiti e dalle auto... perché la storia da molti punti anche alle più elaborate trame moderne.
Il libro tratto dalla serie è la fedele trasposizione.
Leggendolo si evocano non solo i luoghi, ma anche le musiche e le situazioni ai limiti del paranormale (di moda ai tempi) che accompagnano le vicende dei protagonisti.
Non so se un lettore estraneo alla serie tv riuscirebbe a trovarlo così coinvolgente, ma per chi è cresciuto all'interno del cerchio di pietre di Milbury, è una avventura da rivivere.
Un gioioso giorno a tutti.
Una storia angosciante, ma per questo rimasta impressa nella mia memoria... al punto da averla inseguita fino a quando non sono riuscita, pochi anni fa, ad entrare in possesso del DVD.
Nonostante il passaggio di quasi tre decenni, la sola nota vintage è rappresentata dagli abiti e dalle auto... perché la storia da molti punti anche alle più elaborate trame moderne.
Il libro tratto dalla serie è la fedele trasposizione.
Leggendolo si evocano non solo i luoghi, ma anche le musiche e le situazioni ai limiti del paranormale (di moda ai tempi) che accompagnano le vicende dei protagonisti.
Non so se un lettore estraneo alla serie tv riuscirebbe a trovarlo così coinvolgente, ma per chi è cresciuto all'interno del cerchio di pietre di Milbury, è una avventura da rivivere.
Un gioioso giorno a tutti.
March 21, 2022
An engaging novelisation of the classic TV series
An enjoyable novelisation of the classic TV series. The novel provides extra insight to the characters while remaining consistent with the original show.
I also listened to the audio book, and it's even better thanks to the performer. Gareth Thomas's reading is excellent, which shouldn't be surprising as he played the lead character in the original TV series (thirty eight years before recording the book!). Although recorded only two or three years before his death, he gives a performance that is full of life and variety.
Thomas's reading of the character Hendrick is particularly good, as he gives us a very good imitation of the actor Iain Cuthbertson, who played the role in the TV series. I'm guessing, since they had worked together more than once over the years, that Thomas had learned the cadences of Cuthbertson's voice, and he used that knowledge to great effect in this audio book.
The novel itself is fine, written with a good pace and suitable for all ages. It's somehow less spooky than the TV series, though that might be because it lacks the series' unique choral music. The novel also contains some of the same plot problems as the original series (for example, the idea of the time loop comes out of nowhere and is never adequately explained), but it's still an engaging and entertaining read.
Overall, if you're a fan of the series you'll be a fan of the book, especially the audio book. If you've never seen the show, the novel stands on its own, but I would still recommend tracking down and watching the series first of you can (it's on YouTube, but be sure to watch the individual episodes, not the cobbled together version).
I'm fact I enjoyed this novel so much in going to read the sequel, despite its mixed reviews.
An enjoyable novelisation of the classic TV series. The novel provides extra insight to the characters while remaining consistent with the original show.
I also listened to the audio book, and it's even better thanks to the performer. Gareth Thomas's reading is excellent, which shouldn't be surprising as he played the lead character in the original TV series (thirty eight years before recording the book!). Although recorded only two or three years before his death, he gives a performance that is full of life and variety.
Thomas's reading of the character Hendrick is particularly good, as he gives us a very good imitation of the actor Iain Cuthbertson, who played the role in the TV series. I'm guessing, since they had worked together more than once over the years, that Thomas had learned the cadences of Cuthbertson's voice, and he used that knowledge to great effect in this audio book.
The novel itself is fine, written with a good pace and suitable for all ages. It's somehow less spooky than the TV series, though that might be because it lacks the series' unique choral music. The novel also contains some of the same plot problems as the original series (for example, the idea of the time loop comes out of nowhere and is never adequately explained), but it's still an engaging and entertaining read.
Overall, if you're a fan of the series you'll be a fan of the book, especially the audio book. If you've never seen the show, the novel stands on its own, but I would still recommend tracking down and watching the series first of you can (it's on YouTube, but be sure to watch the individual episodes, not the cobbled together version).
I'm fact I enjoyed this novel so much in going to read the sequel, despite its mixed reviews.
March 7, 2018
Ah, nostalgia. Having watched this as a child (and it scared the bejahsus out of me) it was a pleasant surprise to discover a recent reprint of this was available - cue purchase of the DVD and sequel (which is yet to arrive). Astrophysicist Adam Brake (on tv, Gareth Thomas aka Blake of Blakes 7 fame) arrives with his precocious son, Matthew at the tiny village of Millbury (clearly based on Avebury) for a stint of research amid the strange stone circle that encompasses the entire village. Stranger still, however, are the weirdly happy villagers with their fixed smiles and almost robotic greeting of 'Happy Day'. Shades of the Wicker Man abound, as well as mythic elements found in the works of other authors such as Alan Garner, Penelope Lively and latterly, Neil Gaiman.
Well written, if a tad dated in that Brake has a housekeeper, Mrs Crabtree, and a relatively quick read. I have to say it took me longer than it should as I read 'The Ambridge Archive' in-between! Talk about parallels of weird villagers. I won't think of Donna Pegiosa Wooley and St Jill of the AGA in the same light again...
Well written, if a tad dated in that Brake has a housekeeper, Mrs Crabtree, and a relatively quick read. I have to say it took me longer than it should as I read 'The Ambridge Archive' in-between! Talk about parallels of weird villagers. I won't think of Donna Pegiosa Wooley and St Jill of the AGA in the same light again...
March 31, 2025
[Charles Scribner’s Sons] (1977). HB/DJ. 1/1. 200 Pages. Purchased from Aladdin Books.
A tight novelisation of H.T.V.���s 1977, moody, strange, unsettling seven part series - shot in Avebury (Wiltshire) - during the baking hot summer of 1976. I was glued to it in my youth, when first transmitted. It’s still available on YouTube - familiarity with the drama greatly enhanced my reading experience, as did a recent trip to the filming location. A composite *****.
Kinuko Craft’s cover art is diabolical. Absurdly cartoonish and unatmospheric. Acorn Media’s 2009 DVD sleeve, for example, is vastly superior.
A tight novelisation of H.T.V.���s 1977, moody, strange, unsettling seven part series - shot in Avebury (Wiltshire) - during the baking hot summer of 1976. I was glued to it in my youth, when first transmitted. It’s still available on YouTube - familiarity with the drama greatly enhanced my reading experience, as did a recent trip to the filming location. A composite *****.
Kinuko Craft’s cover art is diabolical. Absurdly cartoonish and unatmospheric. Acorn Media’s 2009 DVD sleeve, for example, is vastly superior.
August 13, 2017
The book did not take anytime at all to finish. Having watched the series on DVD this 70s classic is immense as so is the novel. The characters are well devised and I'm looking forward to reading 'The Return to the Stones'
June 13, 2022
This is a review of the Audible reading by Gareth Thomas.
Children of the 1970s have fond memories of this ITV series. This book may up similar sentiments to children today, but sadly, it didn't for me.4/10
Scoring: 0 bad; 1-3 poor; 4-6 average; 7-9 good; 10 excellent.
Children of the 1970s have fond memories of this ITV series. This book may up similar sentiments to children today, but sadly, it didn't for me.4/10
Scoring: 0 bad; 1-3 poor; 4-6 average; 7-9 good; 10 excellent.
November 17, 2024
Man gillar ju mystiska stenar på engelska hedar.
Men det här blir bara konstigt. Upphackat och ofärdigt, med stereotypa karaktärer.
Ja, det är en barnbok, och det är tänkt för tv.
Men ändå. Lost potential.
Men det här blir bara konstigt. Upphackat och ofärdigt, med stereotypa karaktärer.
Ja, det är en barnbok, och det är tänkt för tv.
Men ändå. Lost potential.
April 29, 2025
The town of Milbury sets inside a circle of ancient Neolithic stones. Everything almost seems normal, but isn't quite. I found this book, based on the classic TV series both compelling and a little confusing. It is mind-bending and imagination-stretching. Good exercise for the mind.
February 11, 2020
In a village in England there is a Stonehenge like structure where the people worship and it changes their intelligence. The changes are not for the good.
August 8, 2022
see my review of the kindle edition
September 21, 2022
Enjoyable
Watched the Tv series and was pleased that it followed the book closely. Very enjoyable and slightly nostalgic read, highly recommend.
Watched the Tv series and was pleased that it followed the book closely. Very enjoyable and slightly nostalgic read, highly recommend.
May 16, 2025
Enjoyable. Loved the TV show and the book is a straightforward retelling which is equally scary!
December 15, 2022
This is a novelisation of the 1977 TV series of the same name, one of my faves. I generally find novelisations of TV shows a little lacking because the visual doesn't translate well to text. In this case it's difficult to convey the uncanniness of the show without experiencing its tense atmosphere, conveyed through long, quiet shots of the village that houses the eponymous stones, but other than that the writing was pretty good, and gave some extra insights into the motivations of the characters.
February 19, 2017
I loved this when I read it as a teenager in the seventies and was so glad to find it again. I enjoyed it just as much second time around and am now reading the much awaited sequel, 'Return to the stones'.
November 2, 2009
The tiny English village of Milbury lies at the center of an enormous ring of standing stones, but that is not its only oddness, as Adam and his young son Matthew quickly learn. Adam has come to the village for a few months to take scientific readings of the stones, and he and Matthew are immediately struck by the strange behaviour of nearly all of Milbury's residents. From their universal greeting of "Happy Day!" to the apparent brilliance of Matthew's classmates, everything feels wrong. The only exceptions are a few other newcomers to the village, an eccentric Welsh poacher named Dai, and Mr. Hendrick, who lives in the old manor house. Gradually, Adam and Matthew realise that the villagers are subject to some sinister power which saps their wills and removes all thought and independence, and their fellow newcomers are falling prey to it before their eyes. How can they fight the danger when they don't know what it is, or how it will come at them? All they know is that they must do something quickly, before they are the only ones left in Milbury with the power of independent thought. All they know is that it's something to do with the stones. A good read, especially for the 9-12 set. The only issue I have with it is a low level of casual misogyny. This book was published in the 1970's, and it seems like, even though Margaret and her daughter Sandra have been in Milbury longer, Adam and Matthew come up with all the good ideas to solve the mystery, while "the girls" [sic:] just sit around going, "I never thought of that!"
November 25, 2015
I never saw Children of the Stones when it was broadcast so I don't have the same feeling of nostalgia that I do for certain other 70s Children's tv shows. But I did watch it a couple years ago for the first time and really enjoyed it. This is a very good novelization of that story. It is very clearly written so you can easily picture the events as they happened in the show. There are nice little additional background details and the story sucks you in. I think one of the things I like best about this story is that it is basically a warning that conformity in tiny villages in England is evil, which, having grown up in a tiny village in England, I totally agree with! It's a wonderful children's story with a strong mixture of science and superstition and folklore.
March 8, 2016
The first of two fantasy series written by Jeremy Burnham and Trevor Ray for HTV. Matthew and his father Adam Brake arrive in Milbury so that Adam can perform a study of the standing stones and the stone circle that surrounds the village. Very soon they become aware that all is not as it should be in the village, but the nature of their concerns is hard to fathom since the villagers all appear to ‘happy’. Only a few newcomers to the village are not in on the greeting ‘Happy Day.’
A wonderful blend of science and superstition make this a haunting adventure that will keep you enthralled to the end, assuming they are ever allowed to escape the stones.
Additional comments on blogsite: http://djksfantasyworld.blogspot.co.u...
A wonderful blend of science and superstition make this a haunting adventure that will keep you enthralled to the end, assuming they are ever allowed to escape the stones.
Additional comments on blogsite: http://djksfantasyworld.blogspot.co.u...
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews