Paula Volsky, author of The White Tribunal, returns with a spectacular saga of adventure and intrigue, romance and rebellion — beginning with a wondrous discovery that could forever alter the fate of the free world.... In the modern, civilized republic of Vonahr, the need for magic seems a thing of the past. But soon the Vonahrish will find that magic is their only hope — for an imperialistic race of fanatics, intent on conquering the world, now masses on Vonahr’s borders. Vonahr’s slim chance for salvation lies in a nearby neutral kingdom, where a brilliant savant has conjured up the ultimate weapon: Sentient Fire, a miraculous flame that responds to the command of its maker. Low Hetz’s mad, flamboyant king refuses to relinquish the secret — so the desperate government of Vonahr sends the exquisitely beautiful adventurer Luzelle Devaire to turn his head and change his mind. But to gain an audience, Luzelle must win the Grand Ellipse, a test of endurance, ingenuity, and valor....

This book consists of the papers accepted after a careful review process at an international scientific meeting where the latest developments on intelligent and fuzzy systems are presented and discussed. The latest developments in both the theoretical and practical fields of the new fuzzy set extensions have been prepared by expert researchers. Contributed by participants from more than 40 different countries, this book is also a useful resource in terms of showing the levels that fuzzy and intelligent systems have reached in various countries of the world. The intended readers are intelligent and fuzzy systems researchers, lecturers, M.Sc., and Ph.D. students studying fuzzy sets and artificial intelligence. The book covers fuzzy logic theory and applications, heuristics, and metaheuristics from optimization to machine learning, from quality management to risk management, making the book an excellent source for researchers.