I never got very emotionally involved in the fates of any of the various universes, or in their versions of our characters. It felt very cold.

That is a good point. Now that I think about it, I didn't get that attached to the characters either, and that is especially interesting because in "Iolokus" I really was. Even, or arguably especially, the original characters in "Iolokus" were compelling creations. You did get attached to them.

My surmise is that the characters weren't really the point of this story. It was all about the moral shape of the world, and like the sex, the characters just acted as bellwethers to demonstrate exactly how bad it had gotten. The story draws heavily on "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead," and that play was not exactly about the characterization either.

I'm planning to write my own review of this story, by the way. Just that it's quicker to start by replying to other people.