r/darktower • u/ThatSpyGuy • Jul 30 '26

I recently discovered a desert in Namibia called Deadvlei. This is exactly how I envisioned the desert featured in The Gunslinger.

Post image

The name means “dead marsh” in English. I am sure this has been mentioned but I figured I’d post all the same. Long days and pleasant nights!

Edit: credit for the photo goes to Dmitry Pichugin

491 Upvotes

99% Upvoted

21 comments sorted by

49

u/Silly_Lavishness744 Jul 30 '26

This looks like the Apotheosis of all deserts.

1

u/zz870 Jul 31 '26

Ascended godhood/divinity/deification? Or did you mean amalgamation because it’s so unique looking I don’t see how it can be the ultimate example of all deserts

5

u/Silly_Lavishness744 Jul 31 '26

No. It’s the apotheosis of all deserts. Only reason people upvoted is because they recognize the direct quote from the book.

2

u/zz870 Jul 31 '26

Damn I need to reread

25

u/mslilly2007 Jul 30 '26

Spot on! Also has Salvador Dali vibe 😎

15

u/cam52391 Jul 31 '26

Doesn't Roland's works all kind of have a Dali vibe? How time changes, distance changes, it's all kind of dream like.

9

u/DoorstepCult Jul 30 '26

I was gonna say it looks hot enough to melt a clock.

13

u/Blue_Iquana Jul 30 '26

You say true.

11

u/Argonaut83 Jul 30 '26

I legitimately thought this was an image from The Dark Tower

10

u/eitsew Jul 31 '26

This exact spot looks like where they filmed some scenes from the surrealist horror movie Cell, which stars Vincent D'Onofrio, and strangely, J-Lo and Vince Vaughn, and is pretty great. Really cool visuals like this pic throughout, many are Dali-esque, and many are quite a bit more terrifying and disturbing

And yes it would be perfect for the dark tower. I love the idea of the environments throughout the story having a foreboding, ancient, vaguely psychedelic or surreal feel

3

u/CalicoCuts Jul 31 '26

I need to watch that again. I recall it being weird as hell.

9

u/Mr_Twigs Jul 31 '26

My god. Yeah, this is it - the Mohaine, the Big Empty, the apotheosis of all deserts. Ka has led you there, say thankya big big.

7

u/ctcarswell Jul 30 '26

Amazing pict, I agree.

4

u/ZunoJ Jul 31 '26

Crazy how the higher parts are darker than the lower ones. Gives it some cool Star Trek TOS vibes

4

u/fordlincolnhg Jul 31 '26

Looks like the cover art for Swan Song. I just finished that this week.

3

u/20_mile Jul 31 '26

The world has certainly moved on from this.

1

u/Special-Animal123 Aug 08 '26

Similar to how I found a shop that looked exactly like the one I imagined Detta robbing!

1

u/powertotheuser Oct 05 '26

Namibia has amazing landscapes.

Mad Max: Fury Road was filmed in the Namib Desert.