
I'd never given much thought to how I would die — though I'd had reason
enough in the last few months — but even if I had, I would not have
imagined it like this.
I stared without breathing across the long room, into the dark eyes of
the hunter, and he looked pleasantly back at me.
Surely it was a good way to die, in the place of someone else, someone I
loved. Noble, even. That ought to count for something.
I knew that if I'd never gone to Forks, I wouldn't be facing death now.
But, terrified as I was, I couldn't bring myself to regret the decision.
When life offers you a dream so far beyond any of your expectations, it's
not reasonable to grieve when it comes to an end.
The hunter smiled in a friendly way as he sauntered forward to kill me.

曾鞏,字子固。南豐人。北宋散文家,“唐宋八大家”之一。幼年聰慧,十二歲作《六論》,一揮而就,言簡意賅,氣勢雄渾,得到歐陽修的贊賞,從此名聞四方。青年時,多次外游,和王安石友善,常有詩文往來,並將安石推薦給歐陽修。嘉佑二年(1057)中進士後,調任太平州司法參軍。翌年,召回京師,編校史館書籍,遷館閣校勘、集賢校理。熙甯二年(1079)先後在齊、襄、洪、福、明、毫等州任知州,守正不阿,頗有政聲。元豐三年,徙知滄州,過京師,神宗召見時,他提出節約為理財之要,頗得神宗賞識,留三班院供事。元豐四年,神宗以其精于史學,委任史館修撰,編纂五朝史綱,未成。元豐五年,拜中書舍人。次年卒于江甯府。理宗時追諡文定。著有《元豐類稿》五十卷、《續元豐類稿》四十卷、《隆平集》三十卷。

《小五義》的中心人物已由《三俠五義》中的包公轉為包公門生顏查散,而重要的俠義人物,除了前輩“七俠五義”之外,增加了幾個晚輩義士,即鑽天鼠盧方之子粉面子都盧珍、徹地鼠韓彰義子霹靂鬼韓天錦、穿山鼠徐慶之子山西雁徐良、錦毛鼠白玉堂之侄小專諸白芸生,這四個小義士加上《三俠五義》中原有的人物小義士艾虎,便是“小五義”。《小五義》並不是緊接著《三俠五義》的結尾續寫的,它實際上是從《三俠五義》一百回後開始寫起,部分內容與前書重出。小說以襄陽王趙玨圖謀叛亂為線索,曆敘顏查散奉旨巡按襄陽,大印被盜;白玉堂墜銅網而死;眾俠義云集襄陽,蔣平找回大印;智化用計,里應外合,收降襄陽王黨羽鍾雄;破銅網時,顏查散被沈中元劫持,眾義士分頭尋找,沿路行俠仗義;“小五義”不期而遇,結拜為兄弟;繼而沈中元歸附顏查散;眾義士參悟陣圖,分工破陣,不幸誤落銅網。故事至此戛然而止,留下無盡懸念,待《續小五義》敘說。

王安石,字介甫,號半山,小字獾郎,封荊國公,世人又稱王荊公。撫州臨川人,北宋傑出的政治家、思想家、文學家。他出生在一個小官吏家庭。父益,字損之,曾為臨江軍判官,一生在南北各地做了幾任州縣官。安石少好讀書,記憶力特強,從小受到較好的教育。慶曆二年(1042)登楊鎮榜進士第四名,先後任淮南判官、鄞縣知縣、舒州通判、常州知州、提點江東刑獄等地方官吏。治平四年(1067)神宗初即位,詔安石知江甯府,旋召為翰林學士。熙甯二年(1069)提為參知政事,從熙甯三年起,兩度任同中書門下平章事,推行新法。熙甯九年罷相後,隱居,病死于江甯(今江蘇省南京市)鍾山,諡文。