It's nostalgic for me, too. I think I'm more willing to cut it some slack because of that-- I can still very clearly recall the first time I read it. I was a starry-eyed teen back then, and it all seemed so terribly romantic; the southern setting, the burgeoning threat from the storm, the sense that Mulder and Scully were destined to know each other...

Although I do remember, even back then, finding the two realities annoying. It jarred me right out of the story.

Anyway, I find more and more that I am disappointed when I revisit something I loved back in the day, and this story is no exception. It's funny how tastes change.