This week, two new books from the lesser-known corners of our world.

First, what lurks beneath Earth's surface?

Robert McFarland will be here to talk about his new book, Underland.

And how do you take a story that begins with a disappearance of two girls

to completely unexpected places?

Julia Phillips will be here to talk about her debut novel, Disappearing Earth.

Alexander Altair will give us an update from the literary world.

Plus, the critics will talk about the latest in literary criticism.

This is the Book Review Podcast for the New York Times.

I'm Pamela Paul.

Robert McFarland joins us now from Portland, Oregon.

He's on Book Tour for his new book, Underland, A Deep Time Journey.

His previous books include Mountains of the Mind, The Wild Places, The Old Ways,

and one that I particularly want to talk about a few more,

but one called The Lost Words, A Children's Book.

Robert, thank you so much for being here.

Thank you.

There's a kind of trajectory in your grown-up books,

going from the mountains downward to the pathways,

and then ending up underground.

Was that deliberate trajectory, or did that just kind of happen?

It just, I mean, I guess it happened.

...