A Maltese translation of the book Hercólobus o Planeta Rojo made by Eng. Simon Salafia from the original written in Spanish by V.M. Rabolù has recently been published in Malta. The book has already been translated in several languages and at present is being sold in some 40 countries.
The author claims to be a prophet of doom, foretelling the destruction of our planet by a foreign gigantic red planet coming towards us from outside our solar system. He also claims that the planets Mars and Venus are inhabited by superior races.
In this regard the book makes enjoyable reading, especially for those people who are interested in apocalyptic literature, prophecies and fortune-telling, and probing into the secrets of the future. However, in spite of all its claims, in my opinion it should not be taken seriously.
The whole book is simply unscientific and makes claims which have already been proven to be false. There are no people on Mars and Venus and the prophecy that our planet will be broken into pieces by the impact of an enormous red planet coming from outer space is only a far cry.
The claim that all Martians wear military uniforms is simply funny. The planet Mars was named after the Roman god of war simply because of its reddish-orange colour, representing the battle ground.
The Hercólobus or Red Planet for which the book is named is not Mars, but another planet, maybe a huge celestial body wandering through the immensely vast space of our galaxy and aimed at destroying the earth.
The probability of such an event is very minimal and remote, although asteroids and large meteorites are known to have approached the earth and even hit the planet especially in prehistoric times.
It is also true that a time will come when our medium-size warm yellow sun will one day expand to become a red giant star engulfing the earth. But that will happen only billions of years hence and most probably by then humanity will have long been extinct either because of disease or catastrophe, or else as a result of highly radio-active contamination.
Prophecy books make enjoyable reading, especially for those who are curious to know something about the future and the end of the world. That is why they are popular. However, cultured people will not be easily taken for a ride.