Patrick Rothfuss answers Paul Goat Allen’s questions about folklore, the curiosity of heroes, and the power of stories in this week’s fiction Q&A. Here’s a teaser:

I owe it to the reader to give Kvothe’s discoveries substance. If he travels to the edge of the map, the cultures he encounters should be fully fleshed and interesting. If he talks to someone clever, that person better have some genuinely clever things to say. If I don’t do that, I feel I’m not holding up my end of the bargain as an author.

If you find the references a bit mystifying, our starred reviews of The Name of the Wind (2007) and The Wise Man’s Fear (April 2011) may help clear things up.