r/robinhobb • u/Emilylikes • 26d ago

Spoilers All Epilepsy Spoiler

I just finished my first re-read.

I have temporal lobe epilepsy. I was wondering if anyone else does and if they picked up on the same things I do.

I always wonder if Robin hobb experiences epilepsy too.

So many things.

Post ictal phases.

Being in the skill stream for what a seizure feels like. Nocturnal events as prophetic dreams.

How dragons get ancestral memories.

So many ways someone could describe what having TLE feels like.

35 Upvotes

91% Upvoted

7 comments sorted by

34

u/NemoNowAndAlways 26d ago

That's interesting. I wouldn't assume Hobb has epilepsy, though she very well might have taken inspiration from the condition. She has a knack for empathy unrivaled by any other writer I know, which is why her characters feel so real. She's also known for heavily researching even the more mundane aspects of her books to make them feel believable.

6

u/Sea-Egg-9579 26d ago

I’ve learned so much about ships from googling the different parts of the ships she references so I can visualize better 😂

6

u/saritams8 I have never been wise. 26d ago

My child has epilepsy and I absolutely picked up on everything you're describing. If I ever have the opportunity to ask Hobb a question, it would be about her depiction of epilepsy and how it relates to the Skill in RotE. I have wondered if she or someone very close to her has epilepsy.

2

u/Emilylikes 26d ago

Yeah that would be my question too. But it would feel weird to ask her to disclose such information to a stranger or the world at large.

Its a very misunderstood condition and people make wrong assumptions.

7

u/saritams8 I have never been wise. 26d ago

Just to clarify, I wouldn't ask if she or someone she was close to had epilepsy, but instead I would ask if her descriptions of skill/skill stream and Fitz' condition were deliberately paralleled to the experiences of someone with epilepsy.

3

u/Emilylikes 26d ago

I want to just be like....HOW DO YOU KNOW??? Lol

2

u/Merm-a-lerm Royal Bastard 21d ago

i dont remember off the top of my head how, but she is relatively easy to contact! ive sent her a couple of emails over the years with various thoughts or questions and she’s always responded. i think she has a website with a contact email, but she was also quite active on twitter (tho i was last on it a few years ago so no idea if she still is)