Nope, not joking, it's that distracting.

I meant it when I said it was like reading a scientific journal (very sophisticated and possibly groundbreaking work) and that "Aiels" is so distracting I stopped reading. Which is unfortunate.

I have since gotten through it and still find it very interesting. I don't think the final mechanism for sealing will look much like the OP, but it certainly is a poetic reading of the Randland mythos.