The Princess Bride - William Goldman (4 of 5 Empty Flasks of Iocane Powder)

I really wish I could have read this book prior to seeing the movie. It's always hard to erase the images you have in your mind (especially with this movie, having seen it just under a bazillion times). Rather than enjoy the book for what it was I found myself constantly skimming over the parts in the movie to find the new content. Most of this new content was back story to the characters, some scenes which are quite hilarious. The rest of the new stuff was William Goldman interrupting his own story. Some of his comments were quite funny. Some could have been left out. They get old after a while.

If you get the 25th anniversary edition you'll also get the first chapter of the sequel "Buttercup's Baby." This story follows Wesley, Buttercup, Fezzik and Ignacio as they flee from Prince Humperdink after storming his castle. There are a couple funny moments, but it seems like nothing more than an afterthought - not really worth your time.

If you haven't seen the movie, go get the book as soon as you can. If you're from the Mormon Heartland and have seen this movie at least once every few months for most of your childhood, you might want to think twice before checking it out from the library.