Long story short: EP first edition was great, EP second edition is even better. It's a complex but much more elegant game now. No rule is more complicated than necessary, so all nuances and flavours of the 1st edition are still here. Pools are a neat and exciting mechanic and the writing is very good throughout. The typesetting is amazing, too, clearly done by a professional.

I really have no serious gripes with the book apart from quite a few typos, but that's just cosmetics and has no real impact on readability. This easily is one of the best RPG rulebooks out there, my experience being with Warhammer (1,2, 4), DnD (3), Fading Suns, New World of Darkness (Vampire, Werewolf, Promethean), Neuroshima, Call of Cthulhu (7).

This quote from the book...

"Eclipse Phase is an exploration of uncertain futures. This is more than a tabletop roleplaying game, it’s a detailed science fiction setting that thoroughly investigates issues that affect our future as a species."

...is absolutely true.

If you like gritty science fiction, this is as good as it gets.