The Princess Bride, by William Goldman

A classic novel that purports to be about a classic text, the affectation of the author abridging that classic is well sustained but also tediously unnecessary. It is a conceit that really doesn’t add anything but length to the story. The characters are memorable - beautiful farm girl Buttercup, dashing pirate Westley, steadfast giant Fezzik and vengeance-fuelled Inigo Montoya, evil six-fingered Count Rugen and dastardly Prince Humperdink. It is impossible to not see them as portrayed in the film. The story is ridiculous, but told with amusing irony. Billed as an adventure/romance/fantasy, it is actually quite violent. All in all and unusually, the film is better than the book.