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White Anvil: Sasquatch Onslaught
As if the cold wasn’t enough…Fleeing an approaching blizzard, a military train carrying prisoners and a handful of citizens derails in the mountains. The survivors fight to stay alive and regroup as the terrible storm buries them in snow. Only then do they discover the train also carried another cargo—two cars loaded with biological experiments—genetically-altered sasquatches conditioned to annihilate anything they find. Can the few remaining soldiers team with a pair of sisters and a police constable to fight the relentless beasts, icy temperatures, and escaped prisoners long enough for help to arrive?"... a fresh take on a classic legend, full of suspense and action. This one had me on the edge of my seat and loving the characters." — Michael D. Nadeau, author of The Darkness Returns (A Lythinall novel) Book 1"Cryptid lovers rejoice, for you have found the author who will lead you to an action-packed adventure that you will ignore family to read." — Jonathan Lazar, Author of Zachariah Lars and the High Elf Mystery“For those of us who grew up on Saturday morning creature features and painstakingly tuned-in to horror hosts using our dented and bent rabbit-ear antennas, Matt Betts delivers all the goods and more. WHITE ANVIL is packed with the excitement and atmosphere, but it also has what so many stories Believable characters behaving rationally as they do their best to survive in the face of unexpected terror. — Dan Stout author of Titanshade“...an action-packed adventure that you don’t want to miss.” — Sara Tantlinger, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of The Devil’s Dreamland
220 pages, Paperback
Published November 4, 2019
173 people are currently reading
89 people want to read
About the author
Matt Betts
26 books163 followersI've been writing for a number of years and had some good fortune in getting my work in print and online venues. I've also contributed as a staff member to a few magazines. I'm a big fan of pop culture. I love old movies; good ones, bad ones, doesn't matter. Actually, I sometimes prefer the bad ones.
My first book, Odd Men Out, was launched in the summer of 2013 from Dog Star Books. It has some steampunk, some alternate history, some horror and a giant lizard. That's plenty for the first book, right?
My second book, Indelible Ink, is an urban fantasy crime story that's sort of my homage to the late Elmore Leonard by way of the Dresden Files. I had so much fun writing this and I think it shows in the book.
Two of my novels were released in 2018: The adventure/kaiju/scifi book The Shadow Beneath the Waves, and the dark fantasy/comedy Indelible Ink.
My cryptid novels include White Anvil: Sasquatch Onslaught and Skunk Ape Kingdom.
My most recent book is Gone Where the Goblins Go, a mashup of The Wizard of Oz and Apocalypse Now. It is weird and fun and a little touching.
I've also written two books of speculative poetry - See No Evil, Say No Evil and Underwater Fistfight.
I love attending cons - I've been a panelist, moderator, invited guest, and presenter. It's always a joy to interact with readers, other writers, and creators.
My first book, Odd Men Out, was launched in the summer of 2013 from Dog Star Books. It has some steampunk, some alternate history, some horror and a giant lizard. That's plenty for the first book, right?
My second book, Indelible Ink, is an urban fantasy crime story that's sort of my homage to the late Elmore Leonard by way of the Dresden Files. I had so much fun writing this and I think it shows in the book.
Two of my novels were released in 2018: The adventure/kaiju/scifi book The Shadow Beneath the Waves, and the dark fantasy/comedy Indelible Ink.
My cryptid novels include White Anvil: Sasquatch Onslaught and Skunk Ape Kingdom.
My most recent book is Gone Where the Goblins Go, a mashup of The Wizard of Oz and Apocalypse Now. It is weird and fun and a little touching.
I've also written two books of speculative poetry - See No Evil, Say No Evil and Underwater Fistfight.
I love attending cons - I've been a panelist, moderator, invited guest, and presenter. It's always a joy to interact with readers, other writers, and creators.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
October 18, 2025
3.5 stars. I have to admit that I’m not a big fan of the subgenre of military operation-based stories. It’s just not my preference, but I know what a large following it has. Now this was a fun spin on that, having multiple cryptids, civilians, and criminals in addition to soldiers involved. It was written very well and developed thoroughly, even with a premise that was very far-fetched. However, as a fan of cryptids and horror, this did not veer enough in that direction to peak my interest. It still, ultimately, was meant for the aforementioned audience and not anyone from the horror community. There were also a ton of characters to follow which was difficult to get a handle on, as chapters switched person to person and, in some cases, past to present. Not a ton of action, either, which was surprising. Again, this wasn’t a bad experience, but just necessarily for anyone outside of the target audience.
May 21, 2020
Reggie and Margo are seismologists that happened to appear at the same place as Frank, a park ranger, Adam, a local constable that are determined to get on THAT train. The one no one knows about or talks about. BUT, the train won’t be leaving due to….
In order to board, they had to give up their cell phones, laptops, anything that could connect to the outside world. Do you see where this is going? I think I do.
So far, things are pretty predictable, but I am hopeful we will have some twists.
In times of trouble, people’s true colors come to the surface. There is no shame in fear. I would be terrified. This is one of those stories that has me asking myself, what would I do? I hope I would act as well as Margo and Reggie, Denton, and some of the others, especially when they find out they are up against so much more than a derailed train and the snowy weather.
I knew right off that Frank was an ass, and he kept on proving it.
Nora, I don’t know what the hell she’s thinking. I’d love for her to be eaten first.
Government secrets, danger, survival, White Anvil is a safe lab and holding facility for things that go bump in the night and we all know it can’t be good when they break free, so buckle your seatbelts, because we are in for a bumpy ride.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of White Anvil by Matt Betts.
See more at fundinmental
In order to board, they had to give up their cell phones, laptops, anything that could connect to the outside world. Do you see where this is going? I think I do.
So far, things are pretty predictable, but I am hopeful we will have some twists.
In times of trouble, people’s true colors come to the surface. There is no shame in fear. I would be terrified. This is one of those stories that has me asking myself, what would I do? I hope I would act as well as Margo and Reggie, Denton, and some of the others, especially when they find out they are up against so much more than a derailed train and the snowy weather.
I knew right off that Frank was an ass, and he kept on proving it.
Nora, I don’t know what the hell she’s thinking. I’d love for her to be eaten first.
Government secrets, danger, survival, White Anvil is a safe lab and holding facility for things that go bump in the night and we all know it can’t be good when they break free, so buckle your seatbelts, because we are in for a bumpy ride.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of White Anvil by Matt Betts.
See more at fundinmental
March 2, 2020
Pretty good sasquatch horror.
A random group of people get aboard a military train carrying convicted computer hackers. The train wrecks in a massive snow storm ,and it turns out the train also held extremely angry sasquatches, eager to kill and eat human beings.
Pretty good, with some real tension, but not as gory as some.
A random group of people get aboard a military train carrying convicted computer hackers. The train wrecks in a massive snow storm ,and it turns out the train also held extremely angry sasquatches, eager to kill and eat human beings.
Pretty good, with some real tension, but not as gory as some.
July 18, 2020
If this book does not get into a movie, or better yet a limited series event, there is no justice in the world.
White Anvil: Sasquatch Onslaught is a wild ride (a wild train ride to be specific). Betts creates a varied but believable cast of well written characters - soldiers, scientists, civilians, and prisoners. They are placed in an insanely difficult situation: trapped in a winter storm and beset by creatures from legend.
I don't want to go into more detail than this because every page is full of amazing storytelling and to reveal anything would be a crime. You're just going to have to trust me on this one -- read this book now.
White Anvil: Sasquatch Onslaught is a wild ride (a wild train ride to be specific). Betts creates a varied but believable cast of well written characters - soldiers, scientists, civilians, and prisoners. They are placed in an insanely difficult situation: trapped in a winter storm and beset by creatures from legend.
I don't want to go into more detail than this because every page is full of amazing storytelling and to reveal anything would be a crime. You're just going to have to trust me on this one -- read this book now.
February 9, 2020
White Anvil
This was a good book. I thought the characters I the book were really brave. The author did a good job of writing I would recommend this book to anyone who would like good action.
This was a good book. I thought the characters I the book were really brave. The author did a good job of writing I would recommend this book to anyone who would like good action.
March 17, 2020
Good, fast moving, heartstopping
Read before bedtime. It was fast paced horror, deserves the genre .
Also heart breaking and truly scary. I would buy it again. Read if you dare.
Read before bedtime. It was fast paced horror, deserves the genre .
Also heart breaking and truly scary. I would buy it again. Read if you dare.
July 15, 2020
Decent story if a bit involved. It felt like the train crash took forever to happen but once it did, the action was pretty nonstop.
A pretty fast read but I had difficulty connecting with some of the characters. The other small thing was the amount of injuries some of them received yet they still not only survived but kept fighting in the freezing cold.
Still, it was a fun story and I enjoyed it.
A pretty fast read but I had difficulty connecting with some of the characters. The other small thing was the amount of injuries some of them received yet they still not only survived but kept fighting in the freezing cold.
Still, it was a fun story and I enjoyed it.
January 20, 2020
The cover had me before I read the title, or saw who the author was. A big ole’ squatch, with the silhouette of the much smaller armed human, and those teeth! So reminiscent of our own. The title promises winter, it promises smashing, and it promises a lot of sasquatch. And delivers on all counts. This was a two-sitting blast of frozen monster fun. I love horror stories that take place in winter, layering the elements onto any monster story makes it richer, the cold becomes a character in and of itself. Betts paints a brilliant picture of the Canadian winter wilderness. You really can’t go wrong here: you have soldiers, prisoners, and a sprinkling of civilians, all with interesting backstories. You have enough sasquatches to indeed have an onslaught of them. Do yourself a favor and read this book.
June 8, 2020
Exciting story
A train bound for the U.S. from Canada is carrying civilians, soldiers, and some things that should never had been loaded on. A train crash pits humans against creatures that have been designed to kill at any cost. Makes you exactly how strong are the cages and enclosures at the zoo.......
A couple of minor editing errors, and one glaring that made me wonder if there might be a sequel or if this was just an error indeed in editing. The doctor tells someone there are six of the "rugarus" in the other car, when every other time it is stated there are four in each. Hmmmm.
This book is not for the faint of heart, blood and gore galore. Fun read for me, though.
A train bound for the U.S. from Canada is carrying civilians, soldiers, and some things that should never had been loaded on. A train crash pits humans against creatures that have been designed to kill at any cost. Makes you exactly how strong are the cages and enclosures at the zoo.......
A couple of minor editing errors, and one glaring that made me wonder if there might be a sequel or if this was just an error indeed in editing. The doctor tells someone there are six of the "rugarus" in the other car, when every other time it is stated there are four in each. Hmmmm.
This book is not for the faint of heart, blood and gore galore. Fun read for me, though.
August 23, 2021
What I wanted.
This novel isn’t a literary masterpiece but it was very fun and reminiscent of a SyFy original movie (but with better graphics cause you know, my imagination)3.5 stars!
I would consider reading a series of these books with the same characters.
This novel isn’t a literary masterpiece but it was very fun and reminiscent of a SyFy original movie (but with better graphics cause you know, my imagination)3.5 stars!
I would consider reading a series of these books with the same characters.
December 25, 2019
A thrilling adventure
Wow! This was a fascinating and thrilling read. An interesting cast of characters and a compelling story. Highly recommend this book.
Wow! This was a fascinating and thrilling read. An interesting cast of characters and a compelling story. Highly recommend this book.
December 18, 2019
This book had several of the things I like in a horror/action novel. First, a remote location. The more remote, the better. Along with that, inhospitable weather conditions. A blizzard/white out is just perfect. Second, a group of people that get stranded in the remote location and have to learn to deal with each other to survive. Third, Sasquatch. That or another creature on the loose for human prey. The Sasquatch, or rugaru as it were, was nice.
We start out with a top secret train hauling prisoners and some scientist with their experiments from White Anvil in remote Canada to the States. Some civilians, waylaid by weather or procrastinating have to hitch a ride. Soon after the train departs, it derails. Leaving some military and prisoners dead. The ones left alive have to figure out how to get out of this frozen hell. They soon find out what else was on the train and is now loose and in the wilds with them.
This was a really nice book. Kept the old worn out humans being hunted by beasts cliché interesting. Also, kudos for the way the author got rid of the cellphones. It was much better than just having the characters wave their phones around and say "I can't get a signal." Nice.
We start out with a top secret train hauling prisoners and some scientist with their experiments from White Anvil in remote Canada to the States. Some civilians, waylaid by weather or procrastinating have to hitch a ride. Soon after the train departs, it derails. Leaving some military and prisoners dead. The ones left alive have to figure out how to get out of this frozen hell. They soon find out what else was on the train and is now loose and in the wilds with them.
This was a really nice book. Kept the old worn out humans being hunted by beasts cliché interesting. Also, kudos for the way the author got rid of the cellphones. It was much better than just having the characters wave their phones around and say "I can't get a signal." Nice.
March 24, 2020
White Anvil: Sasquatch Onslaught gives you exactly what it promises on the tin. The tension and dread builds from the first chapter as a recipe for disaster is cooked up and quickly brought to boil by the elements; one part secret creature government experiment, one part maximum security hacker prisoners, and one part oblivious civilians just trying to make it through the storm.
An action packed story of survival and isolation, White Anvil takes the reader along a frigid and desolate story line with characters that have you rooting for them from the get go. Sisters Margo and Reggie have their quibbles but both are desperate to keep the other alive. Adam needs to survive to meet his brand new grandchild already on the way. Not to mention the prisoner fighting for their freedom and the soldiers in the dark about the dangerous cargo they are transporting.
Betts brings the action to the forefront sprinkling the characters backstories throughout with the odd flashback to explain where the creature experiment started. You aren’t overwhelmed with information at any point and the story stays mostly with the characters and their fight for survival. I was on these characters sides till the end.
An action packed story of survival and isolation, White Anvil takes the reader along a frigid and desolate story line with characters that have you rooting for them from the get go. Sisters Margo and Reggie have their quibbles but both are desperate to keep the other alive. Adam needs to survive to meet his brand new grandchild already on the way. Not to mention the prisoner fighting for their freedom and the soldiers in the dark about the dangerous cargo they are transporting.
Betts brings the action to the forefront sprinkling the characters backstories throughout with the odd flashback to explain where the creature experiment started. You aren’t overwhelmed with information at any point and the story stays mostly with the characters and their fight for survival. I was on these characters sides till the end.
January 28, 2024
This book starts very strong. Great character development and clearly defined personalities, but during the last third of the book my interest started to fade. There were a lot of new additional characters to keep track of and the plot felt like it came to a screeching halt when a few characters found themselves trapped in a cave.
This book does read just like a SyFy Channel original movie which I saw a couple of other reviews state. It did need a few more once overs on formatting and typos, so, shame on the publisher for that one.
If you like paranormal scifi action horror, then you'll appreciate this book.
This book does read just like a SyFy Channel original movie which I saw a couple of other reviews state. It did need a few more once overs on formatting and typos, so, shame on the publisher for that one.
If you like paranormal scifi action horror, then you'll appreciate this book.
October 7, 2020
Look, you're not going to read this accidentally. You know what you're getting into. The story itself is OK. However, there seemed to be a lack of proper proofreading in the first half. One of the soldier's names changed literally one line later and there's a bit where an issue with a gun not firing was never addressed. "He'd checked the weapon before he left, and it had been fully loaded. With no time to resolve the problem..." Right that happens a lot does it? Bullets fell out did they?
April 13, 2023
A survival struggle.
A solid four stars for a page turner full of action, suspense and hard to kill creatures. Characters are well developed and you can connect with and root for them. The creatures are believable and well explained. The harsh conditions are well described. I felt there could have been a sub plot included, which is why I removed a star. Overall a horror story that I recommend. Another positive is the slayings are not gratuitously gory.
A solid four stars for a page turner full of action, suspense and hard to kill creatures. Characters are well developed and you can connect with and root for them. The creatures are believable and well explained. The harsh conditions are well described. I felt there could have been a sub plot included, which is why I removed a star. Overall a horror story that I recommend. Another positive is the slayings are not gratuitously gory.
December 12, 2024
Snow Apes on a Train
You get exactly what you'd expect.
Military train, carrying passengers and strange cargo. Train crashes when the blizzard hits, monsters escape, and all hell breaks loose.
Does exactly what it says in the tin.
Good characters, decent back story, not overly gory, monsters are always just beyond full description, leaving you to make up the rest.
Solid creature feature.
You get exactly what you'd expect.
Military train, carrying passengers and strange cargo. Train crashes when the blizzard hits, monsters escape, and all hell breaks loose.
Does exactly what it says in the tin.
Good characters, decent back story, not overly gory, monsters are always just beyond full description, leaving you to make up the rest.
Solid creature feature.
June 21, 2020
Excellent Storytelling
A very good story, where the creatures are actually background props for the good storytelling. This was a good story that happened to have Sasquatch in it. I am glad that I read this!
A very good story, where the creatures are actually background props for the good storytelling. This was a good story that happened to have Sasquatch in it. I am glad that I read this!
January 16, 2020
Johnboy
This was not the best syfy writing I have read. The story line could of, and should have been better written, and better researched..
This was not the best syfy writing I have read. The story line could of, and should have been better written, and better researched..
September 3, 2020
This is an entertaining story by Matt Betts. He has obviously spent some time in cold weather and snow. His plot is a good twist on the normal monster story. Mountain, secret government programs, brutal violence what is not to like.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews