Recs.
Updated
SpecsUpdate
Pros
Pro Focuses on roleplaying by originating gameplay from world-building
Fate uses "aspects" to influence the gameplay in ways that are consistent with the world that's built. Aspects are descriptive phrases that define anything they are attached to. They give both roleplaying and mechanical advantages and disadvantages. For example, a character could be "raised in a wretched hive of scum and villainy" and that would allow him to better negotiate with thiefs and crooks, but also make him poor at fine dining etiquette.
Pro An even more streamlined version is available, called Fate Accelerated
Whereas Fate Core is skill driven, has more variables to keep track of and is potentially more varied in terms characters created, Fate Accelerated is approach driven, has less variables to keep track of and allows getting started quicker.
Also, the Accelerated version is just 50 pages whereas the Core version is 310 pages.
Pro Excellent clarity of rules
It starts at the very beginning by explaining what is roleplaying and moves on to introduce various mechanics and conventions and explains why they're there, when's the appropriate time to use them and what are the best practices on how to do it.
The book does so in easy to understand language, offers many examples and highlights the important bits in various ways.
Cons
Con Compel mechanic is not for everyone
Compels allow GM to trigger a player's aspect in exchange for a fate point. The player can avoid invoking noted apect by spending a fate point.
Concerns about the system include removing control from the player of how a character is played, GMs having a lot more data to track (each aspect for each player) and possibility of getting stuck in a compel-loop of forcing certain behaviour.
Con It can be difficult to come up with aspects
Coming up with aspects can take a while. Especially for new players. In addition to coming up with traits that define the character, tags and compels are needed. Furthermore all of these little nuances have to be coherent as well as balanced in terms of power. This can make the character creation process take a while.