Actually, I've always found the mark of a good piece of writing to be a strange, sort of internal silence when I reach the end... sorta like the pause at the end of a really great performance, before the applause starts. Most all the Eyrie works fall into this category for me, although there's a couple that leave me scratching my head and saying "bwa?" ;)

-Michael, coming out of hiding finally
Did they beat the drum slowly, did they play the fife lowly?
Did rifles fire over you as they lowered you down?
Did the bugles sing the Last Post in chorus?
Did the pipes play the Flower of the Forest?