Quatermass Series by Nigel Kneale

The first manned space-rocket plummets back to earth long overdue. Professor Quatermass and his team from the British Experimental Rocket Group wait anxiously for the crew to emerge. But only man is left aboard - a man too shocked to tell what happened to his colleagues. It is thebeginning of a reign of terror which will hold London in its merciless grip - and threaten the entire world!

For some time, Professor Quatermass has been aware that a series of inexplicable events are the subject of a Whitehall cover-up. Reports of UFO sightings have been suppressed; no explanation has been given for the extraordinarily high incidence of meteorite strikes on the earth; and an entire village has been razed to the ground to make way for a clandestine Government project... moreFor some time, Professor Quatermass has been aware that a series of inexplicable events are the subject of a Whitehall cover-up. Reports of UFO sightings have been suppressed; no explanation has been given for the extraordinarily high incidence of meteorite strikes on the earth; and an entire village has been razed to the ground to make way for a clandestine Government project. Quatermass determines to penetrate the web of secrecy - and is soon involved in a desperate race to preserve life on earth. less

Hobbs Lane, in central London, has been the scene of mysterious incidents for centuries past. Stories of hauntings and of strange apparitions abound... and now an excavation crew have discovered parts of the skeleton that contradict all previous theories of Man's ancestry.Professor Quatermass is in London for top-level talks on a military project for the furtherance of space war - an enterprise to which Quatermass is violently opposed... moreHobbs Lane, in central London, has been the scene of mysterious incidents for centuries past. Stories of hauntings and of strange apparitions abound... and now an excavation crew have discovered parts of the skeleton that contradict all previous theories of Man's ancestry.Professor Quatermass is in London for top-level talks on a military project for the furtherance of space war - an enterprise to which Quatermass is violently opposed. But his attention is drawn away from the battle with officialdom, when the Hobbs Lane site yields an even more startling find - a vast rocket made of metal unknown to science. And soon after that, the terror begins... less

In space, the Russians and Americans squander billions on pointless projects.On earth, there is anarchy. Civilisation is breaking down.Gangs of killers roam the rubbish-strewn streets. Fuel and food shortages have made the population desperate. Through the countryside bands of mystics calling themselves the Planet People chant their crazed beliefs.Professor Bernard Quatermass, once a space pioneer himself, is an old man now... moreIn space, the Russians and Americans squander billions on pointless projects.On earth, there is anarchy. Civilisation is breaking down.Gangs of killers roam the rubbish-strewn streets. Fuel and food shortages have made the population desperate. Through the countryside bands of mystics calling themselves the Planet People chant their crazed beliefs.Professor Bernard Quatermass, once a space pioneer himself, is an old man now. Disgusted and appalled by the state of the world, he has one final mission - to find and save his young granddaughter. She may have joined the Planet People. He follows as thousands of them converge on the ancient stone circle of Ringstone Round.It is there that he witnesses an event that defies all sanity. For Quatermass it is the beginning of a long horror - a terrifying paranormal power has begun to afflict the earth. less